JP2024025800A - Photocatalytic air purification unit and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To intend to improve a space efficiency and air purification capacity, mainly by optimizing a shape or a structure of a photocatalytic air purification filter.

SOLUTION: A photocatalytic air purification unit 11 includes a cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3 in which a photocatalyst 2 is supported on a metal porous body 12 having irregular three-dimensional continuous pores therein, an elongated light source 4 that excites the photocatalyst 2, and a pair of end plates 13. The pair of end plates 13 include filter holding parts 13a to 13c that hold the photocatalytic air purification filters 3 in a multilayered state, and holding holes 13d and 13e that hold the light source 4 in the gap between the photocatalytic air purification filters 3. One end plate 13 has a cylindrical piece 63a protruding from an opening provided in the center. The other end plate 13 may have a closed disk shape, or may be a ring having another cylindrical piece 63b in the center that can be connected in series by fitting mutually with the cylindrical piece 63a of the other end plate 13.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a photocatalytic air purification unit and device.

Deodorizing devices using photocatalysts have already been put into practical use. A deodorizing device using a photocatalyst includes a photocatalyst filter supporting a photocatalyst and a light source that activates the photocatalyst. In a deodorizing device using a photocatalyst, a light source is turned on, the photocatalyst is activated by the light from the light source, and the treated gas is passed through a photocatalyst filter. It is designed to decompose odor components (for example, see Patent Document 1).

In existing photocatalyst filters, a flat porous body (for example, a ceramic porous body) is used for the filter body.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-050979

Until now, it has been thought that the performance of deodorizing devices using photocatalysts is largely determined by the type of photocatalyst and light source used. Therefore, little emphasis has been placed on the photocatalyst filter itself, which supports the photocatalyst, and, for example, no research has been conducted on how the shape and configuration of the photocatalyst filter affect the performance of deodorizing equipment. It wasn't. Therefore, there is still room for innovation and improvement in the shape and configuration of the photocatalytic filter.

Therefore, in view of this situation, the present invention is an attempt to study the shape and structure of a photocatalyst filter. Note that the deodorizing device using a photocatalyst is described as an example for explaining a flat photocatalyst filter, and the air purifying device of the present invention is not limited to a deodorizing device.

To solve the above problems, the present invention
A cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filter in which a photocatalyst is supported on a metal porous body having irregular three-dimensional continuous pores inside;
an elongated light source that extends in the length direction of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter and irradiates light that excites the photocatalyst;
a pair of end plates that hold both ends of the photocatalytic air purification filter;
The pair of end plates include a filter holding portion that holds a large number of the photocatalytic air purification filters in a state where they are arranged in multiple layers with uniform annular gaps in the circumferential direction;
a holding hole for holding the light source in the annular gap between the photocatalytic air purification filters;
One of the end plates has a cylindrical piece protruding from an opening provided in the center that communicates with the space inside the photocatalytic air purification filter located innermost,
The other end plate may have a closed disk shape without the opening in the center, or the center may have a hole in the center that communicates with the inner space. The present invention is characterized by a ring-shaped photocatalytic air purification unit having another cylinder piece that can be connected in series by fitting with the cylinder piece.

According to the present invention, the configuration described above makes it possible to optimize the shape and configuration of the photocatalytic air purification filter, thereby improving space efficiency and air purification ability.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a photocatalytic air purification device including a photocatalytic air purification unit according to the present embodiment is installed in a duct of a building. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the basic structure or principle of air purification using a photocatalyst (when a flat photocatalytic air purification filter is used). FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external shape of a single photocatalytic air purification unit used in the photocatalytic air purification device. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the photocatalytic air purification unit of FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the upper portion of the photocatalytic air purification unit seen from the side, showing the flow of processing gas when the first communication portion is the inlet of the processing gas. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the upper part of the photocatalytic air purification unit seen from the side, showing the flow of processing gas when the first communication section is used as the exit section of the processing gas. It is a figure which shows the end surface shape of the photocatalytic air purification unit, (a) is a single cylindrical unit, (b) is a single triangular unit, and (c) is a state in which a plurality of hexagonal units are bundled and inserted into a duct. It is. (a) is a diagram showing the shape and structure of a light source, and (b) is a perspective view showing the installation state of the light source with respect to a cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the horizontally installed photocatalytic air purification device viewed from the side. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vertically installed photocatalytic air purification device viewed from the side. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a large-scale vertically installed photocatalytic air purification device viewed from the side. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the photocatalytic air purification unit used in the vertically installed photocatalytic air purification device of FIG. 11, cut in half. 13 is a parts diagram of the end plate of FIG. 12. FIG. (a) is a bottom view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a longitudinal sectional view. FIG. 12 is a plan view of a light source used in the vertical photocatalytic air purification device of FIG. 11; 12 is a vertically installed photocatalytic air purifying device according to a modification of the vertically installed photocatalytic air purifying device shown in FIG. 11, in which (a) is a side view and (b) is a plan view. FIG. 16 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the entire photocatalytic air purification unit installed inside the photocatalytic air purification unit shown in FIG. 15. This is the upper end plate of the upper row in FIG. 16, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view. This is the upper end plate of the lower stage of FIG. 16, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view. It is a separate filter holding member attached to the lower surface of the upper end plate, and (a) is a plan view and (b) is a longitudinal sectional view. This is a lower end plate that is common to the upper and lower stages, (a) is a plan view, (b) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the radial direction of part A in (a), and (c) is part B in (a). (d) is a radial vertical cross-sectional view of section C in (a), and (e) is a vertical cross-sectional view in the radial direction of section D in (a).

Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described in detail using the drawings.
1 to 20 are for explaining this embodiment.

<Structure> The structure of this embodiment will be explained below.

The photocatalytic air purifying device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a filter (photocatalytic air purifying filter 3) carrying a photocatalyst 2 and a light source 4 that activates the photocatalyst 2, as shown in FIG.

Here, the photocatalytic air purification device 1 is a device that uses a photocatalyst 2 to purify a gas (processed gas 5) such as air or gas. Processing gas 5 is gas purified by photocatalytic air purification device 1 . The processing gas 5 may be any gas as long as it contains an odor component. The processing gas 5 may contain components other than odor components. The treated gas 5 is passed through the photocatalytic air purification device 1, purified by a photocatalytic reaction inside the photocatalytic air purification device 1, and changed from untreated gas to treated gas. The photocatalytic air purification device 1 includes a deodorizing device. However, the photocatalytic air purification device 1 is not limited to a deodorizing device.

The photocatalyst 2 absorbs light, activates it, and exhibits a catalytic function of causing a chemical reaction (photocatalytic reaction) in other substances. The photocatalytic reaction is an oxidation/reduction reaction using the photocatalyst 2 and light. Odor components and other components are decomposed into water and carbon dioxide through photocatalytic reactions.

The photocatalyst air purification filter 3 is a filter on which the photocatalyst 2 is supported. The base material 6 of the photocatalytic air purification filter 3 is made of an air-permeable fireproof material. The photocatalytic air purification filter 3 decomposes odor components and other components through a photocatalytic reaction when they come into contact with the photocatalyst 2 when gas permeates (or passes through) the interior or moves along the surface. It also purifies the air and deodorizes it. In the photocatalytic air purification filter 3, attached oil and the like are also decomposed by the photocatalytic reaction. Therefore, the photocatalytic air purification filter 3 also has a self-cleaning function. The photocatalytic air purification device 1 has higher purification ability, lower running cost, and easier maintenance than other types of air purification devices.

The light source 4 generates light that activates the photocatalyst 2. As the light source 4, an ultraviolet lamp that generates UV-A (ultraviolet A waves in the wavelength range of 300 to 400 nm) is used. Further, for example, as the light source 4, an ultraviolet LED lamp that generates UV-A is used. Furthermore, for example, a visible range LED lamp that generates visible light including UV-A can also be used as the light source 4. Any one type of ultraviolet lamp, ultraviolet LED, and visible range LED lamp can be selected and used. Moreover, at least two or more types of ultraviolet lamps, ultraviolet LEDs, and visible range LED lamps can be used in combination. These light sources 4 can be expected to have a sterilizing effect due to UV-A. The light source 4 can provide a constant amount of light. Also. The light source 4 can adjust the amount of light. In this case, the photocatalyst 2 is more activated by increasing the amount of light. On the contrary, by reducing the amount of light, activation of the photocatalyst 2 is suppressed. The amount of light is optimally adjusted depending on the flow rate of the processing gas 5 and the like.

In contrast to the basic configuration described above, this embodiment can include the following configuration.

(1) First, FIG. 3 shows the photocatalytic air purification unit 11.
In this photocatalytic air purification unit 11, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG.
Photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c in which a photocatalyst 2 is supported on a metal porous body 12 are formed in a cylindrical shape.
The cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c are arranged in a single layer or in multiple layers (including double layers), and both ends thereof are closed by end plates 13.
A space 15 inside the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3a located at the innermost position is communicated with the outside through a first communicating portion 16 formed in one end plate 13.

The cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c may be installed in a single layer. Further, the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c may be installed in a double or more multiple state. It is preferable that the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c are installed in two or more layers. By arranging the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c in duplicate, it is possible to obtain the effect of purifying most of the odor components in the process gas 5. By arranging the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c in three or more layers, the processing gas 5 can be purified to a higher level. Practically speaking, it is preferable to use a double to five-fold layer. In this embodiment, the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c are arranged in three layers. At this time, the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c installed in single or multiple layers may be left exposed. However, it is preferable that the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c be housed inside the case 17. When the case 17 is provided, the case 17 may have an outer peripheral surface 17a and a pair of end surfaces 17b and 17c, as described later. The outer peripheral surface 17a surrounds the outer periphery of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c with a gap therebetween. A small gap is fine. The end surfaces 17b and 17c close the case 17 by closing the ends of the outer circumferential surface 17a. Further, the end surfaces 17b and 17c can also close the ends of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. A second communication portion 19 is formed in the case 17 to communicate the outside and the inside. The second communication portion 19 communicates with a space 18 outside the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3b inside the case 17. The second communicating portion 19 may be formed on the outer peripheral surface 17a of the case 17. In this case, the second communication portion 19 can be formed in a part of the outer peripheral surface 17a of the case 17. The second communication portion 19 can be formed on the entire outer circumferential surface 17a of the case 17. Alternatively, the second communicating portion 19 may be formed on the end surface 17c of the case 17 (located on the opposite side to the first communicating portion 16). Alternatively, the second communication portion 19 can also be formed in the end plate 13. Note that when the case 17 is not provided, the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3b performs the same function as the second communication portion 19.

Here, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is a unit in which the minimum configuration necessary for air purification is combined into one unit. The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 includes at least one photocatalytic air purification filter 3 and a light source 4. The light source 4 may also include a case 17 in the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 that irradiates the photocatalytic air purification filter 3 with light. In this embodiment, the photocatalytic air purifying filter 3 includes three photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c. The photocatalytic air purification device 1 can be configured by a single photocatalytic air purification unit 11. Alternatively, the photocatalytic air purification device 1 can be configured with a plurality of photocatalytic air purification units 11.

The porous metal body 12 is a porous metal material that is used for filters in various fields, such as industrial filters and filters for food preparation. The porous metal body 12 is a porous metal that has countless fine pores inside. The metal porous body 12 has irregular, fine, three-dimensional continuous pores throughout the front surface, back surface, and inside. The metal porous body 12 has a three-dimensional network structure like a sponge. Therefore, the material of the metal porous body 12 itself has air permeability. Therefore, the metal porous body 12 is a material that is completely different in quality from a porous plate, such as a punching plate, in which regular holes are formed in a metal material with a dense structure by processing. The metal porous body 12 preferably has a porosity of about 90% to 95%.

It should be noted that there is no example in which the metal porous body 12 is used as the base material 6 of a photocatalytic air purification filter 3 using the photocatalyst 2 instead of as a filter for filtration and is used on a practical level. However, the metal porous body 12 has a large surface area due to fine three-dimensional continuous pores, and is an air-permeable material through which the processing gas 5 passes (permeates). Therefore, the metal porous body 12 is expected to be used as a photocatalytic air purification filter 3 by supporting the photocatalyst 2 in the continuous pores on the front surface, the back surface, and inside.

Furthermore, the metal porous body 12 has a significantly higher porosity (porosity) than, for example, a metal porous material (sintered material, sintered metal) made by sintering metal fibers or metal powder. They have different internal structures. Therefore, the metal porous body 12 targeted in this example is a material different from the sintered material, and it is expected that the base material 6 will be more suitable for the photocatalytic air purification filter 3 than the sintered material. Then, a photocatalytic air purification filter 3 was prototyped using the metal porous body 12, and various experiments and simulations were conducted. As a result, it was actually confirmed that the metal porous body 12 is suitable as the base material 6 of the photocatalytic air purification filter 3.

As the metal porous body 12, a plate-shaped (thick plate-shaped) body is already commercially available, so it can be used. The porous metal body 12 is preferably made of at least one material selected from nickel, silver, copper, aluminum, nickel chrome, nickel-tin, and nickel-iron. In particular, it is preferable that the material of the metal porous body 12 contains nickel.

Note that the metal porous body 12 has a different internal structure of the porous portion from the ceramic porous body that has been used as a photocatalyst filter so far. Therefore, the metal porous body 12 may have different performance from existing photocatalyst filters. Therefore, an experiment was conducted using the metal porous body 12. As a result, it was found that there are certain conditions in order to obtain performance that is almost equal to or better than that of porous ceramic bodies. The condition is that the porous metal body 12 has a product (t×C) of the thickness t and the average number of cells per inch C of 100 or more and 400 or less. The thickness t of the metal porous body 12 serves as an index regarding the pressure loss of the processing gas 5. The average number of cells C serves as an index regarding the chance of contact between the odor component and the photocatalyst 2. By satisfying the above conditions, pressure loss and contact opportunities when using the metal porous body 12 are optimized. For example, it is preferable that the thickness t and the average cell number C (ppi) are 15 mm x 9 ppi = 135, 10 mm x 15 ppi = 150, 10 mm x 25 ppi = 250, 15 mm x 15 ppi = 225, and 15 mm x 25 ppi = 375. This was confirmed. That is, it is preferable to use metal porous bodies 12 having a thickness t of 10 mm to 15 mm and an average cell number C of 9 ppi to 25 ppi in combination so that the product (t×C) is 100 or more and 400 or less. This was confirmed. It was also confirmed that it is preferable to use a metal porous body 12 with a transmittance of ultraviolet rays of 8% or less. Ultraviolet light transmittance is an indicator of light utilization efficiency. By setting the transmittance to 8% or less and greater than 0%, the light utilization efficiency when using the metal porous body 12 is maximized, and the photocatalyst 2 on the front surface, back surface, and inside of the metal porous body 12 is maximized. activated to a limited extent.

It is preferable to use titanium oxide for the photocatalyst 2. Alternatively, it is preferable to use a photocatalyst 2 containing titanium oxide. It is preferable that the photocatalyst 2 is supported on the metal porous body 12 in a uniformly dispersed state so as not to block the continuous pores.

The cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filter 3 (cylindrical porous metal filter) is a cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filter 3 formed into a cylindrical shape. By making it cylindrical, the photocatalytic air purification filter 3 becomes a passage for the processing gas 5 as it is. The cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3 can secure a larger installation area than a flat filter for the same size of space. The cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3 can be formed by bending the flat metal porous body 12.

The cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3 can be formed into various shapes such as a conical cylinder or a pyramidal cylinder. The cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3 is preferably a cylindrical body having a substantially uniform thickness and a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape, and having a substantially constant diameter over its entire length. The cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3 can be cylindrical. Moreover, the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3 can be made into a rectangular tube shape. The cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3 is preferably cylindrical. In this embodiment, as described above, a plurality of large and small cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c having the same length but different diameters are installed concentrically in multiple layers. Thereby, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 can achieve both simplification and consolidation of the structure and expansion of the installation area of the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c are arranged in three layers, thereby simplifying and optimizing the structure and scale of the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11. . However, the number of installed cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c is not necessarily limited to three. For example, the number of installations can be double, quadruple, five or more.

It is preferable that the multiplexed large and small cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c are installed with gaps between them that are substantially uniform and extend over the entire length in the circumferential direction. When the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c have a circular cross section, the above-mentioned gaps are uniform in the circumferential direction. When the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c have a rectangular cross section, the gaps at the sides are uniform, and the gaps at the corners are uneven. Note that the size of the circumferential gap (radial dimension) may be different for each layer. However, it is preferable that the size of the circumferential gap be the same in each layer.

The cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c have end plates 13 abutted against both ends to close both ends, thereby forming two passages for the processing gas 5 on the inside and outside of the cylinder. By arranging the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c in multiple layers and closing both ends with the same end plate 13, a large number (number + 1) of passages for the processing gas 5 are formed at once in a layered manner. do.

Further, by sandwiching the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c between the pair of end plates 13, a gap between the cylinders is maintained and a passage for the processing gas 5 is defined. The positions of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c are fixed by attaching at least one end to the end plate 13.

The case 17 does not need to be provided. When the case 17 is provided, the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c can be accommodated therein with gaps. The case 17 may have any size or shape. The case 17 is preferably cylindrical like the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c, and has a uniform cross section over its entire length.

For this purpose, the cylindrical case 17 mainly has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 17a (cylindrical portion) extending along the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. The outer circumferential surface 17a has a larger cross section and approximately the same length or is slightly longer than the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filter 3b. For example, the outer peripheral surface 17a can be made longer than the photocatalytic air purification filter 3b by about the thickness of the end plate 13 and end surfaces 17b and 17c. With respect to the case 17, the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c have their centers aligned with the center of the outer circumferential surface 17a or near the outer circumferential surface 17a, and are spaced from the outer circumferential surface 17a at approximately uniform intervals in the circumferential direction ( It is preferable to have an outer space 18) for accommodation.

A pair of end surfaces 17b and 17c of the case 17 are formed to close both ends of the outer peripheral surface 17a. At least one of the end surfaces 17b and 17c may have substantially the same size and shape as the cross section of the outer circumferential surface 17a, and may be installed inside so as to fit inside both ends of the outer circumferential surface 17a. Alternatively, at least one of the end surfaces 17b and 17c may have a required size and shape such that both ends of the outer circumferential surface 17a come into contact with each other, and may be installed outside the outer circumferential surface 17a. In this embodiment, both end surfaces 17b and 17c are installed inside the outer circumferential surface 17a.

The cylindrical outer peripheral surface 17a may have any cross-sectional shape. For example, the outer peripheral surface 17a can have a circular cross section. The circular cross section can be a perfect circle (FIG. 7(a)). The circular cross section may be oval, elliptical, or the like. Further, for example, the outer circumferential surface 17a may have a square cross section. The rectangular cross section is preferably a polygonal cross section, particularly a regular polygonal cross section. The square cross section can be triangular (FIG. 7(b)). The rectangular cross section can be quadrilateral. The rectangular cross section can be pentagonal, heptagonal or more. In this embodiment, the case 17 has a (regular) hexagonal cross section (FIG. 7(c)). As a result, the case 17 can easily accommodate the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c, and when accommodated, there is a nearly uniform gap in the circumferential direction between the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. It becomes easier to form. In addition, the cases 17 having a (regular) hexagonal cross section can be assembled closely together and in a larger number, making it easier to ensure strength. Note that even when the case 17 has a rectangular cross section such as a triangular cross section or a quadrangular cross section, the same advantages as those obtained when the case 17 has a hexagonal cross section can be obtained. The case 17 having a rectangular cross section may be installed by combining cases with different cross-sectional shapes. The cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c housed in the case 17 are preferably cylindrical. However, the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c may have a triangular or more rectangular cross section. For example, the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c may have a triangular cross section. In this case, the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c are preferably rectangular cylinders having the same cross-sectional shape as the case 17, and are preferably installed concentrically with the positions of the surfaces and corners aligned in the circumferential direction. Thereby, for example, the installation area of the photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c having a triangular cross section (square cross section) can be increased with respect to the case 17 having a triangular cross section (square cross section).

The outer peripheral surface 17a of the case 17 may be made of any material. The outer circumferential surface 17a is preferably formed of metal. Moreover, the outer peripheral surface 17a can also be formed of resin or other materials. The case 17 is preferably made of a material that is thin and has shape retention properties. For the outer circumferential surface 17a, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a flat plate material (non-porous material 21) made of a general material without air permeability can be used alone. Further, for example, the perforated material 22 can be used alone for the outer peripheral surface 17a. Alternatively, the non-porous material 21 and the porous material 22 can be used in appropriate combination. The nonporous material 21 is a material that does not have pores in itself. The perforated material 22 includes a perforated plate 22a obtained by processing a flat plate material into a sheet metal. The perforated plate 22a includes, for example, punched metal in which a large number of through holes are formed in a flat plate material. The perforated plate 22a includes expanded metal made by making a large number of penetrating cuts in a flat plate material and stretching it in the surface direction. Further, the perforated plate 22a includes a pressed material in which a large number of through holes are formed by cutting and bending a flat plate material. The perforated plate 22a also includes a pressed material having a large number of bridges formed by lance bending. Further, the porous material 22 includes a porous material 22b made of a material other than a flat plate material. The porous material 22b includes, for example, a wire mesh. The porous material 22b includes a metal filter material made of metal fibers such as aluminum processed into a plate shape so as to have air permeability. If the porous material 22b has no or weak shape retention, it may be installed by being attached to a frame or the like. The metal porous body 12 described above can also be used for the outer peripheral surface 17a of the case 17. Note that when the outer peripheral surface 17a of the case 17 is made of the porous material 22, the space 18 outside the photocatalytic air purification filter 3b can be almost eliminated.

In addition, in the figure, in order to show them all at once, the case 17 has a non-porous material 21 and a perforated material 22 (perforated plate 22a, porous material 22b) arranged on each surface of the outer peripheral surface 17a. It has become. However, in reality, the outer peripheral surface 17a of the case 17 is basically formed of the same material all around. If necessary, other materials may be used in combination with a portion of the outer circumferential surface 17a.

A pair of end surfaces 17b and 17c of the case 17 are provided at or near both ends of the outer circumferential surface 17a, spaced apart from each other and substantially parallel to each other. The end surfaces 17b and 17c may be made of any material. It is preferable that the end surfaces 17b and 17c are made of metal. The end surfaces 17b and 17c can also be made of resin or other materials. For the end surfaces 17b and 17c, a flat plate material (non-porous material 21) made of a general material without air permeability is used. The first communicating portion 16 and the second communicating portion 19 are appropriately formed through the end surfaces 17b and 17c by post-processing. The end surfaces 17b and 17c can also be formed integrally with the outer peripheral surface 17a of the case 17. The end surfaces 17b and 17c can also be formed of a member different from the outer circumferential surface 17a. The end surfaces 17b and 17c formed of separate members may be installed removably (or disassembled) from the outer circumferential surface 17a. Thereby, internal maintenance can be performed by removing the end surfaces 17b and 17c from the outer circumferential surface 17a. The end surfaces 17b and 17c may be used as end plates 13 that close both ends of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. However, the end plate 13 may be formed of a separate member from the end surfaces 17b and 17c.

The inner space 15 is the innermost passage of the process gas 5 in the photocatalytic air purification unit 11, and is the inner space of the innermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3a (first space).

The first communicating portion 16 is an opening that connects the inner space 15 with the outside. When the end surface 17b and the end plate 13 are the same member, the first communicating portion 16 is a through hole that passes through the substantially central position of the end surface 17b (end plate 13). The approximately central position is a position that corresponds to or coincides with the inner space 15. In this embodiment, the first communicating portion 16 has approximately the same diameter or a slightly smaller diameter and the same (cross-sectional) shape as the inner diameter of the innermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3a. Thereby, a larger opening area of the first communicating portion 16 is ensured. Alternatively, the first communication portion 16 is a communication port that directly communicates the outside of the case 17 and the inner space 15. For example, when the end surface 17b and the end plate 13 are made into separate members, the first communicating portion 16 becomes a cylindrical member that penetrates the end surface 17b and the end plate 13 from the outside. As will be described later, when the photocatalytic air purification units 11 are connected in series, the first communicating portion 16 can also be used to communicate the adjacent inner spaces 15 with each other.

The outer space 18 is the outermost passageway for the processing gas 5 formed inside the outer peripheral surface 17a of the case 17. Alternatively, the outer space 18 is the outer space of the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3b (second space). The outer space 18 becomes an annular passage extending along the circumferential direction and length direction of the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3b.

When the case 17 is provided, the second communication portion 19 is provided as a hole that connects the outer space 18 to the outside, or a communication hole that communicates the outside of the case 17 and the outer space 18. The second communicating portion 19 is a through hole that penetrates the outer peripheral portion of the end surface 17c (or the end plate 13) on the opposite side to the first communicating portion 16. Alternatively, the second communicating portion 19 is a through hole that penetrates the outer circumferential surface 17a of the case 17.

The second communication portion 19 provided on the end surface 17c or the like is formed at a position on the outer circumferential side that corresponds to (coincides with) the outer space 18. The second communicating portion 19 provided on the outer circumferential surface 17a may be provided at any position on the outer circumferential surface 17a. For example, when the outer peripheral surface 17a is made of the non-porous material 21, the second communicating portion 19 is preferably provided near the other end surface 17c farthest from the first communicating portion 16. In this case, one or more second communicating portions 19 may be provided on one of the end surface 17c and the outer circumferential surface 17a. Alternatively, one or more second communicating portions 19 may be provided on both the end surface 17c and the outer circumferential surface 17a. The plurality of second communication portions 19 are preferably formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The second communicating part 19 can be provided by adjusting the size and number so that it has the same opening area as the first communicating part 16. However, the second communicating portion 19 may have a larger opening area than the first communicating portion 16. On the contrary, the second communication section 19 may have a smaller opening area than the first communication section 16.

Further, when the perforated material 22 is used for all or part of the outer peripheral surface 17a, a large number of second communication portions 19 are formed in the perforated material 22. In this case, it is preferable that the second communicating portion 19 be provided over the entire outer circumferential surface 17a. By using the porous material 22 on the outer circumferential surface 17a, it is also possible to obtain an effect as a grease filter in which the porous material 22 collects oil contained in the processing gas 5. The grease filter is provided, if necessary, at a position upstream of the flow of the processing gas 5 than the photocatalytic air purification filter 3 in order to collect oil.

Note that when the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c have a multilayer structure, the interior of the case 17 includes, in addition to the inner space 15 and the outer space 18, intermediate spaces 23 and 24 (see FIG. 4). ) is formed (third space). One or more intermediate spaces 23, 24 (number of filters minus 1) are formed in the gaps between the large and small (or inner and outer) cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c. The intermediate spaces 23 and 24 become annular passages extending along the circumferential direction and length direction of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. For example, when the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c are formed into a triple structure, two intermediate spaces 23 and 24 are formed between the three cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c. The inner space 15, (each of) the intermediate spaces 23 and 24, and the outer space 18 are independent from each other, and are connected only by the continuous pores of the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c.

As shown in FIG. 8, it is preferable to arrange the light source 4 (FIG. 8(a)) in the intermediate spaces 23 and 24 (FIG. 8(b)). It is preferable that the light source 4 is provided so as to irradiate light almost uniformly over the entire lengthwise and circumferentially areas of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c. A single light source 4 can be provided for the intermediate spaces 23 and 24. A plurality of light sources 4 can be provided in the intermediate spaces 23 and 24. The light source 4 is provided so as to irradiate light toward both the inner and outer cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c forming the intermediate spaces 23 and 24.

When there are a plurality of intermediate spaces 23 and 24, it is preferable that the light source 4 is installed in all intermediate spaces 23 and 24, respectively. The light source 4 can be formed, for example, by connecting a plurality of light emitting elements 4a such as LEDs to form a line illumination so that the whole has approximately the same length and width as the intermediate spaces 23 and 24. can. These line lights are attached back to back and integrated so that they can emit light from both sides. Alternatively, the light source 4 may include a plurality of light emitting elements 4a attached to one side of a long and narrow support plate 4b having approximately the same width as the intermediate spaces 23 and 24, and may be attached back to back or attached to both sides. Enable both sides to emit light. This support plate 4b is formed to have approximately the same length as the intermediate spaces 23, 24 as a whole. The support plate 4b may be formed in one piece or in a plurality of pieces connected to each other to have the above-mentioned length. In the figure, two supporting plates 4b are connected. The support plate 4b may be composed of one piece. The support plate 4b may be configured to connect three or more pieces. The surface of the light source 4 is preferably coated with, for example, an antifouling coating. For the antifouling coating, silicone-based or fluorine-based coating agents can be used. The elongated light source 4 as described above is inserted and installed in the intermediate spaces 23 and 24 so as to face in the length direction and radial direction of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. However, the configuration of the light source 4 is not limited to the above.

Such elongated light sources 4 extending in the length direction may be installed in a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction with required intervals necessary to irradiate the intermediate spaces 23 and 24 with light almost evenly. . In this embodiment, six elongated light sources 4 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. However, the number of elongated light sources 4 to be installed is not limited to six. By attaching the elongated light sources 4 at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction, the intermediate spaces 23 and 24 between each layer are partitioned into a plurality of arcuate sections. In the intermediate spaces 23 and 24, there is no particular need for the processing gas 5 to flow in the circumferential direction, so there is no effect even if the spaces are partitioned by the elongated light source 4. Note that by narrowing the width dimension of the line illumination, it is possible to avoid partitioning the intermediate spaces 23 and 24. If there are a plurality of intermediate spaces 23 and 24, an elongated light source 4 may be provided at the same position in the circumferential direction between the inner and outer layers, as shown in FIG. 8(b). When the intermediate spaces 23 and 24 are partitioned into a plurality of parts in the circumferential direction by the elongated light source 4, the second communicating part 19 formed on the outer peripheral surface 17a by the other end surface 17c and the non-porous material 21 is not partitioned. It is preferable to provide each portion separately.

The position of the elongated light source 4 is fixed by attaching at least one end to one end plate 13 (or end surfaces 17b, 17c). In this case, the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c may be held in their radial positions using the elongated light source 4 fixed to the end plate 13 as a holder. Furthermore, the radial position of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c may be held by a holder separate from the light source 4 fixed to the end plate 13.

By arranging the light source 4 in the intermediate spaces 23 and 24, no matter which of the first communication section 16 and the second communication section 19 is used as the entrance section 31, the unprocessed material that enters the case 17 from the entrance section 31 can be removed. Gas is prevented from directly contacting the light source 4. Therefore, oil and the like contained in the untreated gas can be prevented from directly adhering to the light source 4. Note that the light source 4 may be provided in the inner space 15 or the outer space 18 if the adhesion of oil or the like does not become a problem by providing a grease filter or the like.

(2) As shown in FIG. 5, the first communicating portion 16 may be an inlet portion 31 for the processing gas 5. Thereby, the second communicating portion 19 becomes the outlet portion 32 of the processing gas 5.

Here, the inlet section 31 and the outlet section 32 of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 can be freely set depending on the installation direction with respect to the flow of the processing gas 5. The inlet portion 31 is an open portion on the upstream side through which the processing gas 5 enters the case 17 . The first communicating portion 16 becomes the inlet portion 31 by being installed toward the upstream side of the flow of the processing gas 5. The outlet portion 32 is an open portion on the downstream side through which the processing gas 5 exits from the case 17 to the outside. The second communication portion 19 is directed toward the downstream side of the flow of the processing gas 5 and serves as an outlet portion 32 . Thereby, in the photocatalytic air purification unit 11, for example, the processing gas 5 enters from the center and exits from the outer periphery. When the first communicating portion 16 is the inlet portion 31 of the processing gas 5, the above-mentioned grease filter may be provided. Further, the grease filter does not need to be provided. When a grease filter is provided, the grease filter is preferably installed around the first communicating portion 16 in the end plate 13 so as to cover the first communicating portion 16. The periphery of the first communicating portion 16 may be on the entrance side of the first communicating portion 16 . The periphery of the first communicating portion 16 may be inside the first communicating portion 16 . The periphery of the first communicating portion 16 may be on the exit side of the first communicating portion 16 . The grease filter uses a breathable member having eyes large enough to collect oil contained in untreated gas. The breathable member can be, for example, a net-like body. The breathable member can be made of, for example, a nonwoven fabric. In this case, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is equipped with a grease filter by attaching the breathable member around the first communication portion 16 (a unit with a built-in grease filter). The breathable member may be detachably attached. Alternatively, the breathable member may be non-removably attached.

(3) Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the first communicating portion 16 may be used as the outlet portion 32 of the processing gas 5. Thereby, the second communicating portion 19 becomes the inlet portion 31 for the processing gas 5.

Here, the outlet portion 32 is an open portion on the downstream side from which the processing gas 5 exits from the case 17 to the outside. The first communicating portion 16 becomes the outlet portion 32 by being installed toward the downstream side of the flow of the processing gas 5. The inlet portion 31 is an open portion on the upstream side through which the processing gas 5 enters the case 17 . The second communicating portion 19 is directed toward the upstream side of the flow of the processing gas 5 and serves as an inlet portion 31 . Thereby, in the photocatalytic air purification unit 11, for example, the processing gas 5 enters from the outer circumference and exits from the center. When the second communicating portion 19 is the inlet portion 31 of the processing gas 5, the above-described grease filter may be provided. Further, the grease filter does not need to be provided. When a grease filter is provided, it is preferable that the grease filter be installed around the second communication portion 19 so as to cover the second communication portion 19 . The periphery of the second communicating portion 19 may be on the entrance side of the second communicating portion 19 . The area around the second communicating portion 19 may be inside the second communicating portion 19 . The periphery of the second communicating portion 19 may be on the exit side of the second communicating portion 19 . The same breathable member as above is used for the grease filter. In this case, by attaching the breathable member around the second communicating portion 19, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is equipped with a grease filter (a unit with a built-in grease filter). The breathable member may be detachably attached. Alternatively, the breathable member may be non-removably attached. Particularly, as described above, when the second communicating portion 19 is made of the porous material 22, the porous material 22 functions as a grease filter, but even in this case, the air permeability that serves as a grease filter is separate from the porous material 22. You may install a member.

Hereinafter, a photocatalytic air purification device 1 including the above-described photocatalytic air purification unit 11 will be explained.

(4) The photocatalytic air purifying device 1 includes a single photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 or a combination of a plurality of photocatalytic air purifying units 11 as shown in FIG. 7(c). It may be installed so as to block the entire cross section of the passage.

Here, the duct 41 is a pipe line through which the processing gas 5 passes. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, such a duct 41 is provided inside a building 42 such as a commercial facility as an intake duct or an exhaust duct. The photocatalytic air purification device 1 can be provided in an intake duct. The photocatalytic air purification device 1 can be installed in an exhaust duct. The photocatalytic air purification device 1 can be installed in a duct 41 through which other processing gases 5 flow. Thereby, the internal space of the duct 41 becomes the outside for the photocatalytic air purification unit 11. In the building 42, the duct 41 includes at least individual ducts 43 (or floor-specific ducts) installed so as to extend laterally on each floor. The duct 41 may include a collective duct 44 that joins the individual ducts 43 and extends vertically across each floor. The individual ducts 43 are installed laterally along the ceiling of each floor of the building 42. The collecting duct 44 is installed approximately perpendicularly to a pipe space that vertically passes through the inside of the building 42. Alternatively, the collective duct 44 may be installed substantially vertically along the outer wall of the building 42. The collection duct 44 may extend to the roof of the building 42. The duct 41 may have a round cross section. The duct 41 may have a rectangular cross section. The duct 41 may have other cross-sectional shapes. A fan 45 (FIG. 10) for flowing the process gas 5 into the duct 41 may be appropriately installed in at least one of the photocatalytic air purification device 1 and the duct 41, as necessary. The fan 45 may flow the processing gas 5 into the duct 41 at a constant flow rate (air volume). Furthermore, the fan 45 may be capable of adjusting the flow rate of the processing gas 5 flowing through the duct 41. In this case, by speeding up the rotation of the fan 45, the flow rate of the processing gas 5 increases. On the other hand, by slowing down the rotation of the fan 45, the flow rate of the processing gas 5 decreases. Note that, for example, the rotation speed of the fan 45 and the light amount of the light source 4 may be controlled in conjunction with each other. When the grease filter is installed separately from the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 (separate grease filter), a single grease filter is installed so as to be located upstream of the entire photocatalytic air purification device 1 with respect to the duct 41. Alternatively, a plurality of grease filters may be installed so as to be individually located upstream of each photocatalytic air purification unit 11 with respect to the duct 41.

The photocatalytic air purifying device 1 is mainly constructed using a photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 including a cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filter 3 whose base material 6 is a metal porous body 12 . The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is installed in the duct 41 in a state where the entire passage cross section of the duct 41 is closed, so that the entire amount of the processing gas 5 flowing through the duct 41 passes through the inside of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11. become. The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is installed in at least one of the individual ducts 43 and the collective duct 44.

At this time, it is preferable that the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 is provided with the length direction of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filter 3 facing in a direction parallel to the flow direction (in particular, the inflow direction) of the processing gas 5 with respect to the duct 41. preferable. However, depending on the situation, as described later, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be provided with the length direction of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c oriented in a direction intersecting the flow direction of the processing gas 5. . In particular, when the second communication section 19 is formed on the outer circumferential surface 17a of the case 17, or when the outer circumference surface 17a is formed of the perforated material 22, the first communication section 16 and the second communication section 19 The directions in which the processing gas 5 enters and exits are different. Therefore, in this case, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 has a structure that is easy to install with the length direction of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c oriented in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the processing gas 5.

For example, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 can be provided with a partition member 46 (FIG. 9) inside the duct 41 that closes the entire passage cross section of the duct 41, and can be attached to the partition member 46 singly. Alternatively, a plurality of photocatalytic air purification units 11 can be attached to the partition member 46. The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is attached to the partition member 46 with the inlet portion 31 or the outlet portion 32 aligned (or connected) with one or more penetrating portions provided in the partition member 46. Also good. In addition, when the entire outer peripheral surface 17a of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is formed of the non-porous material 21, the penetrating portion of the partition member 46 is arranged so that the inlet portion 31 and the outlet portion 32 are separated on both sides of the partition member 46. It may also be placed through. In this case, the grease filter can be provided at a position upstream of the partition member 46. Alternatively, the grease filter can be provided at a position upstream of the inlet portion 31 of each photocatalytic air purification unit 11.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7(c), a plurality of photocatalytic air purification units 11 are combined in parallel and bundled and inserted (directly) into the duct 41, thereby covering the entire passage cross section of the duct 41. It can be almost blocked. At this time, gaps created between the photocatalytic air purification units 11 and between the outer shape of the bundled photocatalytic air purification units 11 and the duct 41 are partitioned by providing a spacer so that the inlet part 31 and the outlet part 32 are separated. Let it be member 46. Then, the entire cross section of the passageway is appropriately closed with a partition member 46 (spacer). Note that the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be configured to eliminate the partition member 46 by adjusting or changing the external shape according to the cross-sectional shape of the duct 41. The entire outer shape of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be adjusted or deformed in accordance with the cross-sectional shape of the duct 41. The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may adjust or deform a part of the outer shape, for example, the shape of the outer part, in accordance with the cross-sectional shape of the duct 41. In this case, the grease filter can be provided at a position upstream of the inlet portion 31 of the bundled photocatalytic air purification units 11.

Further, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be installed in the chamber 47 by providing a chamber 47 (FIG. 9) which is larger than the passage cross section of the duct 41 in the middle of the duct 41. The chamber 47 may be provided at the end of the duct 41. The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 can be installed in this chamber 47 or the like (indirectly in the duct 41) in the same way as any of the above. For example, a partition member 46 is provided in the chamber 47, and the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is attached to the partition member 46. The photocatalytic air purification units 11 are bundled and provided in a chamber 47. The partition member 46 and the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 are installed in a chamber 47 in combination. In this case, the partition member 46 is provided to partition the inside of the chamber 47 into an upstream space 47a and a downstream space 47b. Further, the grease filter can be provided at the entrance of the chamber 47 in addition to being provided in the duct 41 as described above. Further, the grease filter can be provided in the chamber 47 at a position upstream of the partition member 46 or the photocatalytic air purification unit 11.

It is preferable that the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is installed in the duct 41 or the chamber 47 so that it can be attached and detached for maintenance. For this purpose, in the photocatalytic air purifying device 1, the duct 41 or the chamber 47 is provided with a working opening for taking the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 in and out. The work opening can be opened and closed.

Further, the photocatalytic air purification device 1 described above may be arranged in a plurality of stages in series with respect to the duct 41 or the chamber 47 along the flow direction of the processing gas 5. Each stage of the photocatalytic air purification device 1 may include a single photocatalytic air purification unit 11. Moreover, the photocatalytic air purifying device 1 at each stage may be a plurality of photocatalytic air purifying units 11 bundled in parallel. The photocatalytic air purifying device 1 at each stage may have the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 attached to a partition member 46 that closes the passage cross section of the duct 41 or the chamber 47. The photocatalytic air purification device 1 may be different for each stage. Thereby, the purification ability of the processing gas 5 is further improved.

(5) As shown in FIG. 1, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be installed in at least one of the inlet portion 51, intermediate portion 52, and outlet portion 53 of the duct 41.

Here, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be installed in at least one of the inlet portion 51, intermediate portion 52, and outlet portion 53 of the duct 41 with respect to the duct 41. Alternatively, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be installed at two or more or all of these positions. For example, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be provided at the inlet portion 51 and the intermediate portion 52 of the duct 41. The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be provided at the inlet portion 51 and outlet portion 53 of the duct 41. The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be provided at the intermediate portion 52 and outlet portion 53 of the duct 41.

For example, the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 is provided at the entrance portion 51 of the duct 41 to form the photocatalytic air purifying device 1. In this case, the inlet portion 51 of the duct 41 is formed at or near the upstream end of the individual duct 43 (upstream portion). One or more inlet portions 51 of the duct 41 may be formed. The duct 41 may be branched into a plurality of parts to form a plurality of inlet portions 51. For example, in the case of an exhaust duct for a commercial facility or the like, the entrance portion 51 of the individual duct 43 is often installed at a position corresponding to one or more kitchen facilities 54 provided on each floor of the building 42. A range hood 55 is individually provided at each entrance portion 51 of the individual duct 43 in each kitchen facility 54 . The photocatalytic air purifying device 1 is individually installed (built-in) in, for example, the range hoods 55 of all the kitchen facilities 54 on each floor (individual distributed photocatalytic air purifying device 1a). In this case, the processing gas 5 is cooking gas generated from the kitchen facility 54. Cooking gas mainly contains odor components such as toluene and acetaldehyde. Cooking gas also contains substances such as oil, particulates, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The photocatalytic air purification device 1 decomposes these substances by photocatalytic reaction. However, the processing gas 5 is not limited to cooking gas. The processing gas 5 can be, for example, exhaust gas from a factory or the like. In this case, the grease filter can be installed at the inlet of the range hood 55.

For example, the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 is provided in the intermediate portion 52 of the duct 41 to form the photocatalytic air purifying device 1. In this case, the intermediate section 52 of the duct 41 refers to any position within a wide range between the inlet section 51 and the outlet section 53. The intermediate portion 52 is preferably, for example, a portion of the individual duct 43 where it joins the collective duct 44 or its vicinity (a portion on the downstream side of the individual duct 43). In this case, at least as many photocatalytic air purifying devices 1 are provided for all the individual ducts 43 as there are installed individual ducts 43 (medium-scale distributed photocatalytic air purifying device 1b). The photocatalytic air purification device 1 is preferably installed, for example, at a position upstream of a fire damper 56 that is installed in the individual duct 43 on each floor and blocks the individual duct 43 and the collective duct 44. In this case, one or more grease filters can be installed between the inlet of the range hood 55 and the inlet of the medium-scale distributed photocatalytic air purification device 1b.

For example, the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 is provided at the outlet portion 53 of the duct 41 to form the photocatalytic air purifying device 1. In this case, the outlet portion 53 of the duct 41 is at or near the downstream end of the collecting duct 44. The downstream end of the collective duct 44 is at or near the upper end portion of the collective duct 44 led to the roof of the building 42 or the like. Thereby, the photocatalytic air purifying device 1 is centrally installed on the roof of the building 42, etc., and connected to the outlet portion 53 of the duct 41 (centralized photocatalytic air purifying device 1c). The air and treated gas 5 (treated gas) purified by the photocatalytic air purification device 1 on the roof of the building 42 are released into the atmosphere as they are. In this case, one or more grease filters can be installed between the inlet of the range hood 55 and the inlet of the centralized photocatalytic air purification device 1c.

FIG. 9 is an example showing a more specific configuration of the photocatalytic air purification device 1. As shown in FIG. This photocatalytic air purification device 1 is of a horizontal type (horizontal type photocatalytic air purification device). The following description will be given as an example of a centralized photocatalytic air purifying device 1c, but the horizontal photocatalytic air purifying device is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a medium-scale distributed photocatalytic air purifying device 1b.

This photocatalytic air purification device 1 has an intake part 47c to which the duct 41 is connected on one side in the length direction (left side in the figure), and has an exhaust part 47d attached to the other side (right side in the figure). A chamber 47 is provided. An outlet portion 53 of the duct 41 is attached to the intake portion 47c. An exhaust louver 57 is attached to the exhaust portion 47d. The interior of the chamber 47 is partitioned by a substantially vertical partition member 46 into a space 47a on the upstream side (left side in the figure) and a space 47b on the downstream side (right side in the figure). In the upstream space 47a in the chamber 47, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is installed at a required distance from the connection part with the outlet part 53 of the duct 41 and the inner surface of the chamber 47. be done. In this case, the grease filter is preferably provided on one side of the chamber 47 around the connection part with the outlet part 53 of the duct 41.

The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 has a case 17 whose entire circumference is made of a perforated material 22 to form a second communication part 19, and which is formed by forming a second communication part 19 in the length direction of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. A single unit may be provided in a horizontal (almost horizontal) state. In this embodiment, a plurality of photocatalytic air purification units 11 are connected in series in the length direction. Thereby, the ability of the photocatalytic air purification device 1 to purify the process gas 5 is improved. Adjacent photocatalytic air purification units 11 are successively arranged and integrated with one end plate 13 having a first communicating portion 16 facing toward the exhaust louver 57 side. The end plates 13 interposed between adjacent photocatalytic air purification units 11 are configured such that one end plate 13 having the first communicating portion 16 can be used in common, and serves as an intermediate plate 14. By using the common intermediate plate 14, a plurality of photocatalytic air purification units 11 can be connected in a compact manner. The intermediate plate 14 has an annular shape, and has an inner diameter that is approximately equal to the inner diameter of the innermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3a and an outer circumferential surface 17a of the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3b or case 17. It has an outer diameter that is approximately equal to the outer diameter. The intermediate plate 14 communicates between the adjacent inner spaces 15 and closes the spaces between the adjacent intermediate spaces 23 and 24 and the spaces between the adjacent outer spaces 18. In addition, when connecting a plurality of photocatalytic air purification units 11 in series in the length direction, it is sufficient to provide one closed end plate 13 that does not have the first communicating portion 16 in total.

The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 connects the first communicating portion 16 of one end plate 13 (end surface 17b) closest to the exhaust louver 57 to the penetrating portion of the partition member 46, and connects the chamber 47 (upstream side is installed in the space 47a). As a result, the other end plate 13 (end surface 17c) having no opening (non-porous) is directed toward the outlet portion 53 of the duct 41 (left side in the figure).

As a result, the second communication section 19 on the outer circumferential surface 17a of the case 17 has an inlet section 31 that takes in the processing gas 5 that has entered the upstream space 47a in the chamber 47 from the duct 41 into the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 from the entire circumference. becomes. Further, the first communication section 16 sends the cleaned processing gas 5 through the center position of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 to the downstream space 47b in the chamber 47, and releases the processing gas to the atmosphere via the exhaust louver 57. This becomes the exit section 32 of No. 5. Note that each part of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be supported by the chamber 47.

FIG. 10 is a modification of the photocatalytic air purifying device 1 shown in FIG. 9 in a vertically installed type so that the installation area is small (vertically installed photocatalytic air purifying device). In this vertically installed photocatalytic air purifying device, the air purifying unit 11 is placed halfway into the outlet portion 53 of the duct 41 with the length direction of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c facing vertically (almost up and down). It is installed in a vertically elongated chamber 47 provided therein. In the photocatalytic air purification unit 11, the second communicating portion 19 of the outer circumferential surface 17a of the case 17 is used as an inlet portion 31. The partition member 46 has, for example, a cylindrical shape having approximately the same size and shape as the outer shape of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. The partition member 46 is provided below the photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c so as to support the photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c apart from the bottom surface of the chamber 47. Thereby, the partition member 46 supports the lower part of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 on the bottom surface of the chamber 47. The downstream space 47b is formed inside the partition member 46. Other than that, it is basically almost the same as the horizontal photocatalytic air purifying device shown in FIG. The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be installed in a single stage above and below. Further, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be installed in multiple stages vertically. In the figure, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is arranged in two stages, upper and lower.

The chamber 47 is provided in the middle of the duct 41. The upstream portion of the duct 41 is laterally connected to an intake portion 47c provided on the side surface of the chamber 47. A fan 45 is provided at a portion of the duct 41 that connects to the intake portion 47c on the side surface of the chamber 47. A downstream portion of the duct 41 is connected to an exhaust section 47d inside the partition member 46 on the bottom surface of the chamber 47. After the downstream part of the duct 41 exits downward from the exhaust part 47d on the bottom of the chamber 47, it is once routed upward along the chamber 47 so that it is higher than the middle part of the photocatalytic air purification device 1. Ru. The outlet portion 53 at the end of the duct 41 is located at the top of the chamber 47 and is oriented laterally (to the side opposite to the photocatalytic air purification device 1). In this case, it is preferable that the grease filter be provided on the side surface of the chamber 47 at a portion connected to the duct 41. For example, the grease filter may be provided on the inlet side of the fan 45. The grease filter may be provided on the outlet side of the fan 45.

In addition, in the figure, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is installed so that the first communicating part 16 faces downward. However, the entire device may be installed upside down so that the first communicating portion 16 faces upward. In this case, the exhaust louver 57 may be provided directly on the upper surface of the chamber 47. Alternatively, the downstream portion of the duct 41 may be connected to the upper surface of the chamber 47 so that the outlet portion 53 is directed laterally. Other details can be substantially the same as those in FIG. 9 . Further, the structure of this embodiment can be applied to the structure of FIG. 9 in almost the same way.

11 to 14 show modified examples of the photocatalytic air purifying device 1 (vertical photocatalytic air purifying device) of FIG. 10 having a structure that can be easily scaled up. This photocatalytic air purification device 1 has an intake portion 47c connected to an outlet portion 53 of the duct 41 or a portion near the outlet portion 53 on one side of a large chamber 47 shaped like a building. The other side surface of the chamber 47 has an exhaust section 47d at a lower lower position. An exhaust louver 57 is attached to the exhaust portion 47d. The processed gas 5 is an untreated gas that enters the chamber 47 laterally from an intake section 47c on one side, and a purified processed gas is discharged to the atmosphere from an exhaust section 47d at the lower side of the other side. emitted directly to However, as shown in FIG. 10, the chamber 47 may be provided in the middle of the duct 41.

Inside the chamber 47, a partition member 46 is provided between the intake section 47c and the exhaust section 47d to vertically divide the intake section 47c and the exhaust section 47d. The intake section 47c and the exhaust section 47d are installed with their positions shifted in the vertical direction. That is, the inside of the chamber 47 has a substantially horizontal and flat floor-like structure provided at a position that is the same as or lower than the lower part of the intake part 47c and also at a position that is the same as or higher than the upper part of the exhaust part 47d. A partition member 46 partitions the space into upper and lower spaces 47a and 47b. The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is installed vertically in the upper (upstream) space 47a. The planar arrangement of the photocatalytic air purification units 11 with respect to the floor-like partition member 46 may be random. In this embodiment, a plurality of photocatalytic air purification units 11 are arranged horizontally in an upper (upstream) space 47a in a vertical state with intervals from the intake section 47c side to the exhaust section 47d side. is set up. Thereby, the photocatalytic air purification device 1 can efficiently install more photocatalytic air purification units 11, and the purification ability of the process gas 5 is improved. Each photocatalytic air purification unit 11 can be arranged in a single stage vertically. Alternatively, each photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be connected in series in multiple stages vertically. In this embodiment, three photocatalytic air purification units 11 are arranged horizontally in a row with two layers stacked one above the other. Note that the photocatalytic air purification units 11 may be installed, for example, in a stack of two or more vertically, and four or more photocatalytic air purifying units 11 arranged horizontally. According to the photocatalytic air purification device 1 of this modification, the partition member 46 is shaped like a floor. Thereby, a large number of photocatalytic air purification units 11 can be installed so as to be lined up on the floor. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily increase the scale of the photocatalytic air purification device 1.

The upper and lower photocatalytic air purification units 11 may be integrally connected using the common intermediate plate 14, as described above. Further, connection may be made without using the shared intermediate plate 14. In this embodiment, the upper and lower photocatalytic air purification units 11 are arranged with a slight distance between them, and are connected to each other via a short cylindrical member 63. In this case, between adjacent photocatalytic air purification units 11, one end plate 13 having an opening serving as the first communication portion 16 and the other end plate 13 having an opening communicating with this opening are provided. are provided respectively. Then, the openings of adjacent end plates 13 are connected by a short cylindrical member 63, thereby communicating the inner spaces 15 with each other. Note that each part of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be supported by the chamber 47.

At this time, the same photocatalytic air purification unit 11 as in each of the above embodiments may be used, but it may also be as shown in the modified example of FIG. 12. That is, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 has a pair of (upper and lower) end plates 13 (FIG. 13) that are formed with pairs of opposing filter holding portions 13a to 13c on opposing surfaces thereof. The filter holding parts 13a to 13c may be, for example, grooves. Both ends of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c are respectively fitted between the pair of filter holding parts 13a to 13c, so that the photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c can be held between the end plates 13. Make it. The filter holding parts 13a to 13c have the same shape and size as the end portions of the respective photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c, and are provided concentrically in the same number as the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. In this embodiment, the grooves of the filter holding parts 13a to 13c are circumferential grooves that extend continuously in the circumferential direction. In order to form the circumferential groove, the end plate 13 is a plate-shaped body that is thicker than the depth of the circumferential groove.

Furthermore, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be provided with a double grease filter 61 and a chemical adsorption filter such as an activated carbon filter 62 on the outside thereof. The outermost grease filter 61 removes oil contained in the processing gas 5, and the inner activated carbon filter 62 adsorbs and removes air pollutants contained in the processing gas 5. The grease filter 61 and the activated carbon filter 62 also function as the outer peripheral surface 17a of the case 17 surrounding the outside of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11. The grease filter 61 and the activated carbon filter 62 can also be installed so as to be sandwiched between the pair of upper and lower end plates 13, similarly to the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. However, as in this modification, the grease filter 61 and the activated carbon filter 62 may be installed to simply cover the outside of the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 so that they can be easily attached to and replaced with the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11. . Further, a frame member that holds the grease filter 61 and the activated carbon filter 62 may be provided. The grease filter 61 and the activated carbon filter 62 can be made of, for example, a porous material having continuous pores inside. Further, the grease filter 61 and the activated carbon filter 62 may be formed of other materials.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the elongated light source 4 in which a plurality of light emitting elements 4a such as LEDs are connected linearly is attached to a transparent cylindrical member 4c such as a glass tube or a heat-resistant glass tube, as shown in FIG. By storing it, it may be formed into a fluorescent lamp type (LED lamp). This makes it possible to standardize the standard shape of the light source 4, resulting in a configuration in which any fluorescent lamp type ultraviolet lamp, ultraviolet LED lamp, visible range LED lamp, etc. can be used. For this purpose, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 appropriately forms holding holes 13d and 13e into which the fluorescent light source 4 is fitted and held, at the position of the end plate 13 where the light source 4 is installed. At least one or both of the holding holes 13d and 13e may be a through hole depending on the situation. At least one or both of the holding holes 13d and 13e may be a bottomed hole or a recessed hole. When the holding holes 13d and 13e are bottomed holes or recessed holes, the holding holes 13d and 13e are formed to have a depth within the thickness range of the end plate 13. The transparent cylindrical member 4c that uses the fluorescent lamp type as the light source 4 may be coated with the above-mentioned antifouling coating on its outer peripheral surface, for example.

At this time, both ends of the support plate 4b to which the light emitting element 4a is attached are supported and fixed by bases 4d attached to both ends of the cylindrical member 4c. The fluorescent lamp type light source 4 is preferably provided with a rectifying board 4e at one end so that power can be supplied from one side. The pin of the base 4d at one end of the cylindrical member 4c, the rectifier board 4e, and each light emitting element 4a attached to the support plate 4b are electrically connected to each other. The power supply side pin is installed, for example, on the upper end side of the vertically arranged photocatalytic air purification unit 11. Note that, contrary to the above, the light source 4 may be installed with the pin on the power feeding side facing the lower end side. Other details can be substantially the same as those in FIGS. 9 and 10. Further, the structure of this embodiment can be applied to those in FIGS. 9 and 10 in almost the same way.

15 to 20 are modified examples of the photocatalytic air purification device 1 (vertical photocatalytic air purification device) shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, which are further enlarged. In this photocatalytic air purifying device 1, a horizontal row of photocatalytic air purifying units 11 extending from the intake portion 47c of the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 toward the exhaust portion 47d is provided in the large building-like chamber 47, as described above. . A plurality of horizontal rows are arranged in parallel at intervals in the depth direction (or width direction) of the chamber 47. For example, the photocatalytic air purification units 11 may be arranged in two horizontal rows in the depth direction. Further, for example, the photocatalytic air purification units 11 may be arranged in three or more horizontal rows in the depth direction. The number of columns is set depending on the inflow amount or processing amount of the processing gas 5. Thereby, in the photocatalytic air purification device 1, the ability to purify the process gas 5 is improved by the increase in the number of rows in the depth direction.

Horizontal rows of photocatalytic air purification units 11 located in the depth direction may be arranged parallel to each other when viewed from above. In this case, the distance between the centers of the photocatalytic air purification units 11 adjacent in the depth direction is equal. Further, horizontal rows of photocatalytic air purification units 11 located in the depth direction may be arranged non-parallel to each other when viewed from above. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 15(a) and 15(b), the horizontal rows of photocatalytic air purification units 11 arranged in two rows in the depth direction are inclined in a narrow V-shape when viewed from above. It is located. In this case, the distance between the centers of the photocatalytic air purification units 11 adjacent in the depth direction gradually becomes narrower from the intake section 47c side toward the exhaust section 47d side. This makes it possible to directly apply the processing gas 5 that has entered the chamber 47 from the intake portion 47c to the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 located on the back side. Therefore, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 located on the back side can be used more effectively.

The building-shaped chamber 47 is provided with an intake section 47c and an exhaust section 47d at substantially the same position on both end faces with substantially the same height and size. For this purpose, the horizontal floor-shaped partition member 46 leaves most of the part where the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is installed as a floor, and a part on the side of the exhaust part 47d rises almost vertically upward to form the chamber 47. It has a vertical wall 46a that reaches the upper surface. This makes it possible to connect the downstream space 47b inside the chamber 47 to the exhaust section 47d. Further, the side surface of the chamber 47 is provided with a working opening. The working opening is for taking in and out the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 and for maintenance. An opening/closing door 47e is provided in the working opening. The opening/closing door 47e hermetically seals the chamber 47 by closing.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the end plate 13 of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is configured as follows. That is, the end plate 13 is made of a thinner metal plate than those shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. Then, one (upper) end plate 13 (A) of the upper stage (H) photocatalytic air purification unit 11 shown in FIG. 17 and one (upper side) of the lower stage (L) photocatalytic air purification unit 11 shown in FIG. The end plate 13(B) has a slightly different shape. Further, the other (lower) end plate 13 (C) of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 shown in FIG. 20 is shared by the upper stage (H) and the lower stage (L). That is, one end plate 13 (A) of the upper stage (H) has a disk shape. One end plate 13 (B) of the lower stage (L) has a ring plate shape. The other (lower) end plate 13 (C) of the lower stage (L) has a ring plate shape. When the photocatalytic air purification units 11 are installed in three or more stages vertically, one end plate 13 (B) of the lower stage (L) and the other (lower) end plate 13 (C) of the lower stage (L) ) will be added to the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 using

The filter holding parts 13a to 13c are not grooves but protrusions (locking protrusions) protruding from the opposing surfaces of the pair of end plates 13. The protrusions lock and hold the inner peripheral portions of the ends of the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c from the inside. Alternatively, the protrusions lock and hold the outer peripheral portions of the ends of the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c from the outside. The protrusion may be an annular protrusion that extends continuously in the circumferential direction. Further, the protrusion may be a discontinuous protrusion that is discontinuous in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the protrusion is a discontinuous convex portion. The discontinuous convex portions are provided at least at three or more locations in the circumferential direction. It is preferable that the three or more discontinuous convex portions are provided at substantially equal positions in the circumferential direction. The number of discontinuous convex portions installed in the circumferential direction can be arbitrarily set depending on the size of the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. Thereby, each of the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c can be stably held in the circumferential direction and the radial direction.

At this time, the protrusions that become the filter holding parts 13a to 13c of one end plate 13 (A) located above the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 in the upper stage (H) are filter holding members separate from the end plate 13. 71 (FIG. 19). Similarly, the protrusions that become the filter holding parts 13a to 13c of one end plate 13 (B) located above the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 in the lower stage (L) are filter holding members separate from the end plate 13. 71 (FIG. 19). The filter holding member 71 is fixed to the lower surfaces of the end plates 13 (A) and 13 (B) with fixing tools such as bolts and nuts.

The filter holding member 71 is made of a thin metal plate similar to the end plate 13. The filter holding member 71 includes a ring portion 71a having an opening having a shape and size that substantially matches the opening that becomes the first communication portion 16, and a plurality of arm portions 71b extending radially from the ring portion 71a. ing. The ring portion 71a has a cutout portion 71c at a portion that interferes with the light source 4 located on the inner circumferential side. The cutout portion 71c has a function of accommodating and retaining the light source 4. Although the number of arm portions 71b may be any number, it is preferable that the number of arm portions 71b be the same as the number of arm portions 71b installed in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, there are six arm portions 71b. Filter holding parts 13a to 13c are formed on arm part 71b. The filter holding parts 13a to 13c are formed by bending the filter holding member 71 in an out-of-plane direction. Alternatively, the filter holding parts 13a to 13c are formed by attaching L-shaped metal fittings to the filter holding member 71.

Note that when the filter holding member 71 is not provided, the protrusions serving as the filter holding parts 13a to 13c are directly attached to the lower surfaces of the end plates 13(A) and 13(B). Further, as for the other end plate 13 (C) located on the lower side, the protrusions serving as the filter holding parts 13a to 13c are directly attached to the upper surface. However, for the other end plate 13(C), separate filter holding members similar to those described above are provided for the protrusions that become the filter holding parts 13a to 13c. ) may be fixed to the top surface using fixing devices such as bolts and nuts.

One of the end plates 13(A) and 13(B) has the holding holes 13d and 13e of the light source 4 as through holes. Further, in the other end plate 13(C), the holding holes 13d and 13e for the light source 4 are closed-ended holes or recessed holes. For the bottomed hole or the recessed hole, a separately produced cup-shaped member 72 may be attached to the through-hole portion. Further, the bottomed hole or the recessed hole may be formed integrally with the other end plate 13 by press working or the like. As a result, the light source 4 can be easily converted into a photocatalyst by simply inserting the fluorescent lamp type light source 4 downward from the upper through hole and fitting the lower end of the light source 4 into the lower bottomed hole or recessed hole. It can be set detachably to the air purification unit 11. Furthermore, it is not necessary to disassemble the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 when attaching and detaching the light source 4.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the distance between one end plate 13(A), 13(B) and the other end plate 13(C) is set to be shorter than that of the fluorescent lamp type light source 4. . Then, a base 4d having at least a pin on the power feeding side facing above the light source 4 is projected upward from the holding holes 13d and 13e, which are through holes of the upper end plate 13. Thereby, the wiring 73 can be easily connected to the power supply side pin from outside the photocatalytic air purification unit 11.

In this case, the fluorescent lamp type or elongated light source 4 may be provided at different positions in the circumferential direction between the inner and outer layers with respect to the plurality of intermediate spaces 23 and 24. In this case, for example, the outer elongated light sources 4 can be installed with their circumferential phases shifted from each other, such that the outer elongated light sources 4 are located in the circumferentially intermediate portion between the inner elongated light sources 4. As a result, the light sources 4 are distributed and arranged at many positions in the circumferential direction, so it can be expected that the amount of light in the circumferential direction will be equalized.

The cylindrical member 63 connecting the upper (H) and lower (L) photocatalytic air purification units 11 may be provided separately as follows. In this embodiment, a cylindrical piece 63a constituting a cylindrical member 63 is attached to the opening of the other end plate 13 (C) located at the upper stage (H). Further, a cylindrical piece 63b constituting the cylindrical member 63 is attached to a communication opening provided in one end plate 13 (B) located at the lower stage (L). Then, the cylindrical member 63 is formed by fitting the cylindrical piece 63a and the cylindrical piece 63b in the circumferential direction without any gap. In this embodiment, the cylinder piece 63a is fitted inside the cylinder piece 63b. On the contrary, the cylindrical piece 63a may be fitted on the outside of the cylindrical piece 63b.

Further, a spacing member 74 may be provided between the pair of upper and lower end plates 13. The spacing members 74 are provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the spacing members 74 are provided at three locations in the circumferential direction. The spacing member 74 may be a connecting member such as a long bolt and nut. The spacing member 74 has approximately the same length as the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. A bolt hole is provided in the end plate 13 at a position through which the spacing member 74 is passed. Thereby, the distance between the pair of end plates 13 can be maintained constant by the distance maintaining member 74. Further, the pair of end plates 13 can be connected and fixed by a connecting member. Therefore, the photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c are not clamped by the pair of upper and lower end plates 13, and it is possible to prevent an excessive load from acting on the photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c.

Further, the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 may be provided with supporting and fixing members 75 to 77 for supporting and fixing the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 at each part. The supporting and fixing members 75 to 77 can be provided between the chamber 47 and the photocatalytic air purification unit 11, etc. Further, it can be provided between the photocatalytic air purification units 11, etc. For example, the support fixing member 75 can be provided between the upper stage (H) photocatalytic air purification unit 11 and the upper surface of the chamber 47. The support fixing member 75 may be provided integrally with one end plate 13 (A) of the upper stage (H). The support fixing member 75 may be provided separately from one end plate 13(A). In this embodiment, the support fixing member 75 is attached to the center of one end plate 13(A). The support fixing member 75 is, for example, a substantially C-shaped member when viewed from the side. A plurality of supporting fixing members 75 can be attached depending on the height of the upper surface of the chamber 47. Further, although not particularly illustrated, a supporting and fixing member can be provided between the side surface of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 and the side surface of the chamber 47.

The support fixing member 76 can be provided between the upper (H) photocatalytic air purification unit 11 and the lower (L) photocatalytic air purification unit 11. The support fixing member 76 has a length approximately equal to the vertical distance between one end plate 13 (B) of the lower stage (L) and the other end plate 13 (C) of the upper stage (H). The support fixing member 76 may be provided integrally with one end plate 13 (B) of the lower stage (L). The support fixing member 75 may be provided separately from one end plate 13(B). The support fixing member 76 is attached to the outer peripheral portion of one end plate 13(B). The support fixing members 76 are provided at a plurality of locations almost equally in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the support fixing members 76 are provided at three locations. The support fixing member 76 is, for example, a substantially C-shaped member when viewed from the side.

The support fixing member 77 can be provided between the lower photocatalytic air purification unit 11 and the partition member 46 of the chamber 47. The length of the support fixing member 77 is approximately equal to the vertical distance between the other end plate 13 (C) of the lower stage (L) and the partition member 46 . The support fixing member 77 may be provided integrally with the other end plate 13 (C) of the lower stage (L). The support fixing member 77 may be provided separately from the other end plate 13 (C) of the lower stage (L). The support fixing member 77 is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the other end plate 13 (C) of the lower stage (L). The support fixing members 77 are provided at a plurality of locations almost equally in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the supporting and fixing members 77 are provided at three locations. The support fixing member 77 is, for example, a member having a substantially L-shaped portion when viewed from the side. The support fixing member 77 may be formed integrally with the filter holding portion 13b, for example.

Note that similar supporting and fixing members can be provided in each of the cases shown in FIGS. 9 to 14. Other details can be substantially similar to those in FIGS. 9 to 14. Further, the structure of this embodiment can be applied to the structures of FIGS. 9 to 14 in almost the same manner. Further, each of the various photocatalytic air purification devices 1 described above is provided with an air volume adjustment function that allows the air volume of the processing gas 5 to be adjusted arbitrarily. Further, each of the various photocatalytic air purification devices 1 described above is provided with a light amount adjustment function that allows the light amount of the light source 4 to be adjusted arbitrarily.

<Function> The function of this embodiment will be explained below.

In the photocatalytic air purification device 1 using the photocatalyst 2, the light source 4 is turned on, the photocatalyst 2 is activated by the light from the light source 4, and the treated gas 5 is passed through the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c. Thereby, the photocatalytic air purification device 1 decomposes odor components and other components contained in the processing gas 5 using the photocatalyst 2 supported and activated on the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c, and the processing gas 5 and the air Purify.

In an existing deodorizing device using a photocatalyst 2, a flat photocatalytic filter having a ceramic porous body as a base material 6 is installed so as to block the flow of the processing gas 5, and the processing gas that hits the flat photocatalyst filter is 5 was made to transmit in the direction perpendicular to the plane.

However, in this case, in order to guide the processing gas 5 to the flat photocatalyst filter, a dedicated passage or the like is required in addition to the photocatalyst filter. Further, the processing gas 5 can only come into contact with the photocatalyst 2 when passing through the flat photocatalyst filter in a direction perpendicular to the plane. Therefore, until the processing gas 5 passed through the passage and reached the photocatalyst filter, the processing gas 5 could not be brought into contact with the photocatalyst 2 (that is, there were few opportunities for contact with the photocatalyst 2).

Therefore, in the photocatalytic air purifying device 1 of this embodiment, the photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c used are cylindrical. Thereby, the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c can be used as passages for the processing gas 5, for example. Then, since the photocatalyst 2 is present in the passage portion, the opportunity for the process gas 5 to come into contact with the photocatalyst 2 can be increased. In the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c, the metal porous body 12 is used as the base material 6. Thereby, the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c using the metal porous body 12 can be relatively easily formed into a cylindrical shape.

<Effects> According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(Effect 1) The photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c in which the photocatalyst 2 is supported on the base material 6 may be formed into a cylindrical shape using the porous metal body 12 as the base material 6. As a result, by using the metal porous body 12 as the base material 6, the photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c are less likely to be damaged and are lightweight and easy to handle (compared to existing photocatalyst filters that use a ceramic porous body as the base material 6). It becomes easier. Moreover, the metal porous body 12 is relatively easy to obtain and process, and costs can be reduced.

By making the photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c cylindrical, it is possible to obtain photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c having a novel shape. The cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c themselves have multiple functions, such as a function as a passage through which the processing gas 5 passes, and a function as a transmission wall through which the processing gas 5 passes. The cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c can have a larger installation area than the flat filters for the same size of space. Moreover, the installation area of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c can be easily and arbitrarily increased by simply lengthening them or connecting them in series as necessary.

The cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c may be made into a single layer and both ends thereof may be closed with end plates 13. Thereby, by simply closing both ends of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c, two passages for the processing gas 5, inside and outside, and one permeable wall can be formed at the same time. Furthermore, the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c may be arranged in multiple layers. As a result, the number of gas passages and permeable walls can be increased, and a plurality of cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c can be installed with good space efficiency, thereby doubling the installation area of the photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c. Therefore, the chances of contact between the process gas 5 and the photocatalyst 2 increase, and the air purification ability can be improved accordingly, and a small photocatalytic air purification unit 11 having high air purification ability can be easily produced.

The inner space 15 of the innermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3a may be communicated with the outside through a first communicating portion 16 formed in one end plate 13. As a result, the light passes through the photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c installed in single or multiple layers between the inner space 15 and the outer space 18 of the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filter 3b. A path for the processing gas 5 can be formed.

At this time, the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c installed in a single layer or in multiple layers may be housed inside the case 17. It is preferable that the case 17 has a pair of end surfaces 17b and 17c at both ends of an outer circumferential surface 17a. One end surface 17b may have the first communicating portion 16, and the other end surface 17c or outer peripheral surface 17a may have the second communicating portion 19. This makes the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 compact and easy to handle.

The second communication portion 19 communicates the outside of the case 17 with the space 18 outside the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3b. The second communication portion 19 is preferably formed on the outer circumferential surface 17a of the case 17 or on the end surface 17b of the case 17 on the opposite side from the first communication portion 16. Thereby, a path for the processing gas 5 that communicates the outside with the outer space 18 can be formed through the outer circumferential surface 17a or the end surface 17b of the case 17.

(Effect 2) The first communicating portion 16 may be used as the inlet portion 31 for the processing gas 5. The second communication section 19 becomes an outlet section 32 for the processing gas 5. As a result, the external processing gas 5 first enters the space 15 inside the innermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3a from the first communicating portion 16 (inlet portion 31). The processing gas 5 passes through the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c arranged in single or multiple layers in order from the inner circumferential side to the outer circumferential side. Then, the processing gas 5 reaches the outside (space 18 outside) of the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3b. If there is a case 17, it reaches the outer space 18 between the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3b and the case 17, passes through the outer space 18, and connects to the second communication part 19 (outlet part 32). ) to exit Case 17. When the case 17 is made of a perforated material 22, the processing gas 5 exits from the entire circumference of the case 17 in a diffused state.

At this time, in the inner space 15, the processing gas 5 quickly flows straight from one end surface 17b side to the opposite end surface 17c side without spreading almost, and then flows straight to the other end surface 17c. The flow velocity is reduced by the collision. At this time, the portion of the processing gas 5 that has come into contact with the innermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3a is brought into contact with the photocatalyst 2 and purified.

In the intermediate spaces 23 and 24, the processing gas 5 spreads appropriately toward one end surface 17b toward the outer periphery of the single or multiple cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c at a low flow rate ( (return) and pass through sequentially. The processing gas 5 comes into contact with the photocatalyst 2 and is purified when it spreads (returns) along the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c or when it passes through the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c.

In the outer space 18, the processing gas 5 is guided to the second communication portion 19 at a low flow rate. At this time, the portion of the processing gas 5 that has contacted the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3b is brought into contact with the photocatalyst 2 and purified.

As a result, the process gas 5 as a whole comes into contact with the photocatalyst 2 supported on the cylindrical photocatalyst air purification filters 3a to 3c in large amounts over a relatively wide area, and is efficiently purified.

In addition, as the processing gas 5 flows, the flow path cross-sectional area increases in order from the inner space 15, the intermediate spaces 23 and 24, and the outer space 18, so the pressure loss of the processing gas 5 can be kept small. can. The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is one that prioritizes processing speed.

(Effect 3) The second communicating portion 19 may be used as the inlet portion 31 for the processing gas 5. The first communicating portion 16 becomes the outlet portion 32 of the processing gas 5. As a result, when there is a case 17, the external processing gas 5 sent into the case 17 from the second communication part 19 (inlet part 31) is connected to the outside of the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3b. It enters the outer space 18 between it and the case 17. When the case 17 is made of a perforated material 22, the processing gas 5 enters from the entire circumference of the case 17. The processing gas 5 in the outer space 18 passes through the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c arranged in single or multiple layers in order from the outer circumferential side to the inner circumferential side, and passes through the innermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c. It reaches the space 15 inside the filter 3a. Then, the processing gas 5 passes through the inner space 15 in the length direction and exits from the first communication portion 16 (outlet portion 32) in a unified state (of the case 17).

At this time, in the outer space 18, for example in the case of FIG. 6, the processing gas 5 spreads in the circumferential direction, or in a state of spreading in the circumferential direction, from the other end surface 17c side to the opposite side. It flows toward the end surface 17b at a low flow rate. Most of the processing gas 5 passes through each part of the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3b almost uniformly over the entire area from an early stage, and the remainder hits the other end surface 17c. Thereby, the processing gas 5 is brought into contact with the photocatalyst 2 of the outermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3b over a wide area, and is efficiently purified.

In the intermediate spaces 23 and 24, the processing gas 5 is spread over almost the entire area and at a low flow rate, directs each part of the single or multiple cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c toward the inner circumferential side. It passes through sequentially. As a result, the processing gas 5 comes into contact with the photocatalyst 2 of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c over a wide area, and is efficiently purified.

In the inner space 15, the processing gas 5 is guided toward the first communicating portion 16 at a low flow rate, and the flow rate is slightly increased near the first communicating portion 16. At this time, the portion of the processing gas 5 that has come into contact with the innermost cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter 3a is brought into contact with the photocatalyst 2 and purified.

As a result, the processing gas 5 comes into almost uniform contact with the photocatalyst 2 supported on the cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filters 3a to 3c over time at a low flow rate over almost the entire area. Therefore, the effective usable area of each of the photocatalytic air purification filters 3a to 3c becomes larger, so that the treated gas 5 is purified more efficiently. The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is one that prioritizes processing efficiency.

(Effect 4) The photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 may be installed singly or in combination so as to block the entire passage cross section of the duct 41 through which the processing gas 5 passes, thereby forming the photocatalytic air purifying device 1.

In this case, for example, the photocatalytic air purifying device 1 can have a configuration in which one or more photocatalytic air purifying units 11 are attached to a partition member 46 that (directly) closes the entire passage cross section of the duct 41. In addition, the photocatalytic air purifying device 1 has a configuration in which one or more photocatalytic air purifying units 11 are arranged in parallel and bundled and inserted (directly) into the duct 41 to block the entire cross section of the passage. can do. Further, the photocatalytic air purification device 1 can be installed in a chamber 47 provided in the middle of the duct 41 in the same manner as any of the above. Thereby, the entire passage cross section of the duct 41 can be easily closed, and the entire amount of the processing gas 5 can be guided to the photocatalytic air purification device 1. In particular, by bundling the photocatalytic air purifying units 11, more photocatalytic air purifying units 11 can be efficiently installed in the duct 41.

Due to these, even one type of photocatalytic air purification unit 11 can be adapted to ducts 41 of various sizes. Of course, as long as the passage cross section of the duct 41 can be closed, a plurality of photocatalytic air purification units 11 having different sizes and shapes may be appropriately combined and arranged in parallel.

Further, a plurality of photocatalytic air purification units 11 bundled in parallel may be installed in a plurality of stages in series. As a result, the air purification capacity can be increased by the increase in the number of stages.

(Effect 5) The photocatalytic air purification unit 11 may be installed in at least one of the inlet portion 51, intermediate portion 52, and outlet portion 53 of the duct 41. As a result, when the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 is installed at the inlet portion 51 of the duct 41 (individually distributed photocatalytic air purifying device 1a), the photocatalytic air purifying device 1 can be downsized, and each inlet portion 51 of the duct 41 can be It can be distributed and installed individually in multiple locations. Therefore, the cost of each photocatalytic air purification unit 11 is suppressed, and maintenance management and maintenance are also facilitated.

When the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 is installed in the middle part 52 of the duct 41 (medium-scale distributed photocatalytic air purifying device 1b), the photocatalytic air purifying device 1 is made medium-sized and, for example, each system of the duct 41 (or , each floor). Therefore, the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 can perform upkeep, maintenance, etc. for each system of the duct 41.

When the photocatalytic air purifying unit 11 is installed at the outlet portion 53 of the duct 41 (centralized photocatalytic air purifying device 1c), the photocatalytic air purifying device 1 is enlarged and centrally arranged at the outlet portion 53 of the duct 41. be able to. Therefore, maintenance and maintenance of the photocatalytic air purification unit 11 can be performed all at once.

1: Photocatalytic air purifying device 2: Photocatalyst 3: Photocatalytic air purifying filter 3a: Photocatalytic air purifying filter 3b: Photocatalytic air purifying filter 3c: Photocatalytic air purifying filter 4: Light source 5: Processing gas 11: Photocatalytic air purifying unit 12: Metal porous Body 13: End plate 13a to 13c: Filter holding portion 13d, 13e: Holding hole 15: Inner space 16: First communication portion 17: Case 17a: Outer peripheral surface 17b: End surface 17c: End surface 18: Outer space 19: Second communication part 31: Inlet part 32: Outlet part 41: Duct 51: Inlet part 52: Intermediate part 53: Outlet part 63a: Cylinder piece 63b: Another cylinder piece

Claims (7)

A cylindrical photocatalytic air purifying filter in which a photocatalyst is supported on a metal porous body having irregular three-dimensional continuous pores inside;
an elongated light source that extends in the length direction of the cylindrical photocatalytic air purification filter and irradiates light that excites the photocatalyst;
a pair of end plates that hold both ends of the photocatalytic air purification filter;
The pair of end plates include a filter holding portion that holds a large number of the photocatalytic air purification filters in a state where they are arranged in multiple layers with uniform annular gaps in the circumferential direction;
a holding hole for holding the light source in the annular gap between the photocatalytic air purification filters;
One of the end plates has a cylindrical piece protruding from an opening provided in the center that communicates with the space inside the photocatalytic air purification filter located innermost,
The other end plate may have a closed disk shape without the opening in the center, or the center may have a hole in the center that communicates with the inner space. A photocatalytic air purification unit characterized in that the photocatalytic air purification unit has a ring shape and has another cylinder piece that can be connected in series by fitting with the cylinder piece. The photocatalytic air purification unit according to claim 1,
The filter holding portion is provided on a filter holding member made of a separate member from the end plate, and
The filter holding member has a ring portion provided in the center portion that matches the opening portion, and a plurality of arm portions extending radially from the ring portion,
A photocatalytic air purification unit, characterized in that it is fixed to the end plate with a fixture. The photocatalytic air purification unit according to claim 1 or 2,
The retaining hole of the light source is
a through hole provided in one of the end plates, and
A bottomed hole or a recessed hole provided in the other end plate,
The elongated light source has one end fitted into the bottomed hole or the recessed hole,
A photocatalytic air purification unit characterized in that the other end protrudes from the through hole. The photocatalytic air purification unit according to claim 1 or 2,
A photocatalytic air purification unit characterized in that a spacing holding portion is provided between the pair of end plates to maintain a spacing equal to the length of the photocatalytic air purification filter. The photocatalytic air purification unit according to claim 1 or 2,
A photocatalytic air purification unit characterized in that a support fixing member is attached to the end plate. A chamber is provided in which the photocatalytic air purification unit according to claim 1 is installed,
The interior of the chamber is partitioned into upper and lower spaces by a floor-like partition member,
The photocatalytic air purification unit is installed on the partition member in a state where the cylinder piece and the other cylinder piece are connected in series in multiple stages by fitting the cylinder piece and the another cylinder piece,
In the lowermost photocatalytic air purification unit, the cylindrical piece that protrudes from the center of the lower end plate and communicates with the inner space is connected to a through part formed in the partition member. ,
The photocatalytic air purifying device is characterized in that the uppermost end plate of the photocatalytic air purifying unit on the uppermost stage has a closed disc shape without the opening in the center. A horizontally elongated chamber in which the photocatalytic air purification unit according to claim 1 is installed is provided,
The interior of the chamber is partitioned into an upstream space and a downstream space by a vertical partition member,
The photocatalytic air purification unit is provided singly in the upstream space,
In the photocatalytic air purification unit, the opening formed in the center of one of the end plates is connected to a penetrating portion formed in the partition member, and the other end plate has the opening formed in the center of the end plate. It is considered to be a closed disk shape with no
The photocatalytic air purification device is characterized in that the chamber has a working opening that can be opened and closed, and the photocatalytic air purifying unit is installed in the chamber so that it can be attached and removed through the working opening.