JP5099843B2 - Temperature and humidity control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a temperature and humidity adjusting device.

Usually, in the precision processing field such as a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, most of them are installed in a clean room in which temperature and humidity are controlled.
However, in recent years, in the precision processing field, processes requiring precision processing with higher processing accuracy than before have been emerging.
In a process that requires such high precision processing, it is usually required that the temperature change environment is smaller than that of a clean room. For this reason, a process requiring high precision processing or the like is provided in a space unit in which precise temperature management is performed.

As a temperature adjusting device used for adjusting the temperature of such a space unit, for example, a temperature adjusting device as shown in FIG.
The temperature control apparatus shown in FIG. 10 includes a compressor 100, a three-way valve 102, a condenser 104, an expansion valve 106, a cooler 108 and a heater 110. And a heating channel provided with a vessel 110.
The cooler 108 and the heater 110 adjust the temperature of the air flow to be adjusted from the fan 112.

  In the temperature adjusting device shown in FIG. 10, the high-temperature heat medium compressed by the compressor 100 is distributed to the cooling channel and the heating channel by the three-way valve 102. The high-temperature heat medium distributed to the cooling channel side is cooled by the condenser 104. The cooled heat medium is adiabatically expanded and cooled by the expansion valve 106, and is supplied to the cooler 108. In the cooler 108, the heat medium that has been heated to absorb the temperature while cooling the air flow to be temperature-adjusted blown from the fan 112 is supplied to the compressor 100.

On the other hand, the high-temperature heat medium distributed to the heating flow path side is supplied to the heater 110, and the air flow to be temperature-adjusted cooled by the cooler 108 is heated and adjusted to a desired temperature. As described above, the heating medium that is radiated and cooled while heating the air flow to be temperature adjusted in the heater 110 passes through the expansion valve 106 and the cooler 108 and is supplied to the compressor 100.
JP-A 51-97048

In the temperature adjustment apparatus shown in FIG. 10, the entire amount of the high-temperature heat medium compressed by the compressor 100 passes through the expansion valve 106, is adiabatically expanded and cooled, and is supplied to the cooler 108. The amount of cooling energy for cooling the air stream to be temperature-adjusted blown out from the air is constant.
On the other hand, by adjusting the flow rate of the high-temperature heat medium distributed to the heating flow path side by the three-way valve 102, the heating amount in the heater 110 with respect to the air flow to be temperature-adjusted cooled by the cooler 108 can be adjusted.

Therefore, it is possible to adjust the temperature of the air flow to be temperature adjusted that passes through the cooler 108 and the heater 110, and to manage the temperature in the space unit in a narrow temperature range.
However, in the temperature control apparatus shown in FIG. 10, the entire amount of the high-temperature heat medium compressed by the compressor 100 passes through the expansion valve 106, is adiabatically expanded and cooled, and is supplied to the cooler 108. The temperature adjustment for the air flow to be adjusted from the fan 112 is performed by reheating the high-temperature heat medium compressed by the compressor 100 supplied to the heater 110 exclusively.

As described above, in the temperature control method employed in the temperature adjustment apparatus shown in FIG. 10, the heat medium used for heating also flows through the cooling flow path, so the amount of heat that can be heated is only the amount of heat generated by the power of the compressor, and the cooler 108. In addition, it is difficult to cope with load fluctuations on the heater 110.
For this reason, when the set temperature of the air flow to be adjusted through the cooler 108 and the heater 110 is significantly increased, the temperature of the air flow to be adjusted does not reach the set temperature or reaches the set temperature. It may take a long time to complete.
Furthermore, in the temperature adjustment device shown in FIG. 10, there is no humidity adjustment function for adjusting the humidity of the air flow to be temperature adjusted that passes through the cooler 108 and the heater 110, and humidity adjustment is performed on the air flow. I can't.

  In order to compensate for the shortage of the heating amount of the temperature adjusting device shown in FIG. 10 and to adjust the humidity of the air flow, a plurality of heating is performed on the outlet side of the heater 110 as in the temperature and humidity adjusting device shown in FIG. It is conceivable to provide spray nozzles 114, 114,... For spraying steam, and to provide a heating steam generator for supplying heated steam to each of the spray nozzles 114.

However, in the temperature / humidity adjusting apparatus shown in FIG. 11, the energy for generating heated steam is wasteful in terms of energy.
Moreover, if the amount of heated water vapor that can compensate for the insufficient heating amount of the temperature / humidity adjusting device of FIG. 11 is ejected from the spray nozzles 114, 114,..., It may be difficult to adjust the humidity of the airflow.
On the other hand, even if the amount of heated water vapor that can adjust the humidity of the air flow is ejected from the spray nozzles 114, 114,...
Therefore, the range in which the temperature and humidity of the air flow can be adjusted simultaneously by the temperature and humidity adjusting device shown in FIG. 11 is further narrowed.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a temperature / humidity adjusting device that solves the above-described problems and that can suitably perform temperature adjustment and humidity adjustment of an air flow at the same time and can save energy.

The temperature and humidity adjustment device according to the present invention is:
A: A part of the heat medium sent out from the compressor is distributed by the first distributor, and is circulated in the order of a heater (condenser), an expansion valve, an evaporator, and the compressor arranged in the space unit. A heat pump circuit and a heat medium sent out from the compressor are distributed by the first distributor, and are circulated in the order of a condenser, an expansion valve, a cooler (evaporator) disposed in the space unit, and the compressor. A temperature control device comprising a cooling circuit to be operated;
B: Part of the heat medium from the heater is distributed by the second distributor, and the distributed heat medium is an expansion valve, a humidity control cooler (evaporator) disposed in the space unit, A humidity control circuit that is circulated in the order of the compressor, a spray nozzle that sprays water for humidifying air passing through the space unit, and an amount of water ejected from the spray nozzle are adjusted. A humidifying / dehumidifying device comprising a water control valve;
C: a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the air that has passed through the cooler, the heater, the humidity control cooler, and the spray nozzle;
D: a humidity sensor that detects humidity of the air that has passed through the cooler, the heater, the humidity control cooler, and the spray nozzle;
E: The temperature of the outlet air detected by the temperature sensor is compared with a set temperature, the first distributor is controlled so that the temperature of the outlet air becomes the set temperature, and the heat pump circuit and the cooling circuit A first control unit for adjusting a distribution ratio of the heat medium distributed to
F: Comparing the humidity of the outlet air detected by the humidity sensor with the set humidity, controlling the second distributor so that the humidity of the outlet air becomes the set humidity, and distributing by the second distributor And a second control unit that adjusts the distribution ratio of the heat medium to be performed and controls the water amount control valve to adjust the amount of water sprayed from the spray nozzle.

Further, the heat medium is continuously divided by the second distributor so that the humidity of the outlet air becomes a set humidity.
The heat dissipated by the condenser of the cooling circuit is absorbed and used by the evaporator of the heat pump circuit.
The first distributor proportionally distributes the heat medium so that the total amount of the heat medium distributed to the heater side and the heat medium distributed to the cooler side is equal to the amount of the heat medium discharged from the compressor. It is a proportional three-way valve.
Alternatively, at least one of the first distributor and the second distributor can be constituted by a two-way valve.

  In the temperature / humidity adjusting device of the present invention, a heat pump circuit is employed as a heater in the temperature adjusting device, and an external heat source is effectively used. Therefore, significant energy saving can be achieved as compared with the conventional method using an electric heater for temperature adjustment or an electric heater for humidification. In addition, a spray nozzle is provided as a humidifier, and a heat medium is diverted from the heater, and a humidity control cooler is provided as a dehumidifier, making it easy to adjust both humidification and dehumidification with a simple structure. Can be done. Moreover, in the temperature / humidity adjusting device according to the present invention, the compressor for pressure-feeding the heat medium is shared by the temperature adjusting device and the humidifying / dehumidifying device, so that it can be driven by only one compressor. Therefore, compared with the case where it is set as a separate compressor, it can be set as a small and cheap structure.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the temperature and humidity adjusting device 54 (FIG. 8) according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, a temperature adjustment device 50 having a basic configuration in the temperature and humidity adjustment device 54 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a temperature adjustment device 50.
The outline of the temperature adjusting device 50 is as follows. That is, a part of the heat medium sent out from the compressor 18 is distributed by the first distributor 20 and is circulated in the order of the heater (condenser) 14, the expansion valve 34, the evaporator (heat absorber) 32, and the compressor 18. The heat pump circuit and the remaining portion of the heat medium sent out from the compressor 18 are distributed by the first distributor 20 and circulated in the order of the condenser 26, the expansion valve 28, the cooler (evaporator) 16, and the compressor 18. And a cooling circuit.
Reference numeral 22a denotes a first control unit that controls the first distributor 20 and adjusts the distribution ratio of the high-temperature heat medium distributed to the heat pump circuit and the cooling circuit to thereby adjust the heater 14 and the cooler 16. The temperature and humidity adjustment target air that passes through and is controlled to a set temperature. A temperature sensor 24 detects the temperature of the outlet air.
The first control unit 22a compares the temperature of the outlet air measured by the temperature sensor 24 with the set temperature, controls the first distributor 20, and the first distributor 20 controls the heater 14 side (heat pump circuit). The distribution ratio of the heat medium distributed to the cooler 16 (cooling circuit) is adjusted and controlled so that the temperature of the outlet air becomes the set temperature.

Hereinafter, the temperature adjusting device 50 will be described in more detail.
1 includes a heater (condenser) 14 of the heat pump circuit that adjusts the temperature of air sucked by the fan 12 in the space unit 10 and a cooler (evaporator) of the cooling circuit. 16).

A heater 14 is disposed on the inlet side of the air flow sucked into the space unit 10, and a cooler 16 is disposed downstream thereof. According to the arrangement of the cooler 16 and the heater 14 with respect to the air flow, dehumidification of the air flow passing through the heater 14 and the cooler 16 can be improved.
For example, hydrocarbons such as propane, isobutane, and cyclopentane, chlorofluorocarbons, ammonia, and carbon dioxide gas are supplied to the heater 14 and the cooler 16 as a heat medium.

  Such a heat medium is compressed and heated by the compressor 18 and discharged in the form of a gas at a high temperature (for example, 70 ° C.). The high-temperature heat medium discharged from the compressor 18 is distributed to the heat pump circuit side provided with the heater 14 and the cooling circuit side provided with the cooler 16 by the proportional three-way valve 20 as the first distributor. .

In this proportional three-way valve 20, the total amount of the high-temperature heat medium distributed to the heat pump circuit side and the high-temperature heat medium distributed to the cooling circuit side is equal to the high-temperature heat medium amount discharged from the compressor 18. Distribute.
The proportional three-way valve 20 is controlled by the first controller 22a. The first control unit 22a compares the measured temperature measured by the outlet side temperature sensor 24 provided in the space unit 10 with the set temperature, and heats the measured temperature so as to match the set temperature. The distribution ratio of the high-temperature heat medium distributed to the cooler 14 side and the cooler 16 side is changed substantially continuously to adjust the air sucked into the space unit 10 to a predetermined temperature.

This “substantially continuously changing” means that when the proportional three-way valve 20 is driven by step control, the proportional three-way valve 20 is microscopically driven stepwise, but is continuously continuous as a whole. This includes the case where it is driven.
The set temperature set in the first control unit 22a may be arbitrarily set. Further, the temperature sensor 24 shown in FIG. 1 is installed on the discharge side of the fan 12, but may be installed on the suction side of the fan 12, or may be provided on the discharge side and suction side of the fan 12.

  The high-temperature heat medium distributed to the heat pump circuit side is directly supplied to the heater 14, and the air flow sucked into the space unit 10 is heated and adjusted to a predetermined temperature. At that time, the high-temperature heat medium is dissipated and cooled to become a heat medium containing condensate.

  On the other hand, the high-temperature heat medium distributed to the cooling circuit side is cooled by the condenser 26 and then adiabatically expanded by the expansion valve 28 and further cooled (for example, cooled to 10 ° C.). The cooled heat medium is supplied to the cooler 16, sucked into the space unit 10, cools the air flow heated by the heater 14, and adjusts it to a predetermined temperature. At that time, the heat medium supplied to the cooler 16 is heated by absorbing heat from the air flow. In this way, by blowing the air flow that has been blown to the heater 14 and raised in temperature to the cooler 16, the accuracy of temperature adjustment of the air flow can be improved.

  The condenser 26 is supplied with cooling water via a pipe 30 for cooling the high-temperature heat medium distributed to the heater 14 side. Such cooling water is heated to about 30 ° C. by a heat medium of about 70 ° C. in the condenser 26 and discharged from the pipe 31. The cooling water discharged from the pipe 31 is supplied as a heat source to a heat absorber (evaporator) 32 as a heat absorbing means.

  The heat absorber 32 is supplied with a heat medium having a temperature of about 10 ° C. which is further cooled by adiabatic expansion of the heat medium radiated by the heater 14 by the expansion valve 34. Therefore, in the heat absorber 32, the heat medium absorbs heat from the cooling water based on the temperature difference between the cooling water that has absorbed heat by the condenser 26 and has been heated to about 30 ° C. and the heat medium that has been cooled to about 10 ° C. it can. That is, since the heat medium on the heat pump circuit side is heated by the heat absorber 32 by the heat radiated from the condenser 26 of the cooling circuit, the heat can be effectively used.

  The heat medium whose temperature has been increased by absorbing heat from the cooling water by the heat absorber 32 is supplied to the compressor 18 via the accumulator 36. The accumulator 36 is also supplied with a heat medium that absorbs heat from the air flow supplied to the cooler 16 and sucked into the space unit 10. Since the accumulator 36 is a type of accumulator that can store a liquid component and re-supply only the gas component to the compressor 18, it can reliably supply only the gas component of the heat medium to the compressor 18.

As this accumulator 36, an accumulator type accumulator can be used.
Even if the accumulator 36 is not installed, the heat medium that has been heated from the air flow by the heat absorber 32 and the heat that has been absorbed from the air flow that is supplied to the cooler 16 and sucked into the space unit 10 are absorbed. It is sufficient that the medium is merged and re-supplied to the compressor 18.

  By the way, although the heat medium radiated by the heater 14 is adiabatically expanded and cooled by the expansion valve 34, in the cooling by the adiabatic expansion in the expansion valve 34, the heat between the heat medium and the outside is cooled. There is no exchange. For this reason, the heat medium cooled adiabatically can absorb heat from the cooling water supplied to the heat absorber 32 via the condenser 26 from the outside.

  Therefore, energy absorbed from the cooling water supplied from the outside by the heat absorber 32 can be added to the compression power energy by the compressor 18 to the high-temperature heat medium discharged from the compressor 18. Further, in the temperature adjusting device 50 shown in FIG. 1, the cooling water supplied from the outside is supplied to the heat absorber 32 via the condenser 26, and the energy removed from the high-temperature heat medium removed by the condenser 26. A part of can also be added to the high-temperature heat medium discharged from the compressor 18, and the heating capacity of the heating channel can be improved. As a result, it is not necessary to use other heating means such as an auxiliary heater.

  As described above, in the temperature adjusting device 50 shown in FIG. 1, the heating capacity of the heater 14 can be improved by installing the heat pump circuit, and the high-temperature heat medium distributed to the heat pump circuit side by the proportional three-way valve 20 and the cooling circuit side The distribution ratio with the high-temperature heat medium distributed to the space unit 10 can be changed substantially continuously according to the temperature in the space unit 10.

  For this reason, in the temperature adjusting device 50 shown in FIG. 1, a high-temperature heat medium is constantly supplied to the heat pump circuit and the cooling circuit, and the air flow of the temperature adjustment target passing through the heater 14 and the cooler 16 is minute. Load fluctuations can be quickly dealt with by quickly finely adjusting the distribution ratio of the high-temperature heat medium distributed between the heating flow path and the cooling flow path using the proportional three-way valve 20, and the response can be improved.

  As a result, the temperature of the air flow subject to temperature adjustment passing through the heater 14 and the cooler 16 can be controlled with an accuracy of ± 0.1 ° C. or less with respect to the set temperature, and the temperature adjusting device shown in FIG. 1 is installed. For example, the temperature change of the space unit 10 can be made smaller than the temperature change of the clean room, and a process requiring precision machining can be installed.

  Further, in the temperature adjusting device 50 shown in FIG. 1, as described above, the heating capacity of the heater 14 of the heat pump circuit is improved, and the first distributor among the channels including the heating channel and the cooling means is used. Each of the flow path including the heating flow path and the flow path including the cooling flow path until the heat medium that has passed through each of the cooler 16 and the heat absorber 32 from the proportional three-way valve 20 is merged by the accumulator 36 flows. It is provided independently on the road.

For this reason, even when the set temperature of the air flow to be temperature adjusted passing through the heater 14 and the cooler 16 is significantly increased, the proportional three-way valve 20 heats the distribution ratio of the high-temperature heat medium more than the cooling flow path. The distribution ratio distributed to the flow path can be significantly increased, and the air flow to be temperature adjusted can be quickly adjusted to a predetermined temperature.
As a result, for example, in the temperature adjusting device shown in FIG. 10, the temperature setting range is about 20 to 26 ° C., but in the temperature adjusting device 50 shown in FIG. 1, the temperature setting range is greatly increased to 18 to 35 ° C. Can be expanded.

Furthermore, in the temperature adjusting device 50 shown in FIG. 1, the heating capacity of the heating channel is improved and it is not necessary to use other heating means such as an auxiliary heater. Therefore, the temperature adjustment provided with the auxiliary heater 114 shown in FIG. Compared to the device, significant energy saving can be achieved.
For example, in the temperature adjustment apparatus provided with the auxiliary heater 114 shown in FIG. 10, the breakdown of the total energy consumption is 18% for the compressor 100, 69% for the auxiliary heater 114, and 13% for the blower 112. In this regard, the temperature adjustment device 50 shown in FIG. 1 can cut the energy consumption of the auxiliary heater 114.
For this reason, when the system of the temperature control apparatus shown in FIG. 10 is applied to a water-cooled air conditioner with a discharge rate of about 20 m 3 / min, the maximum power consumption was 11.7 KW, but the temperature shown in FIG. When the method of the adjusting device 50 is applied, the maximum power consumption can be reduced to about 2.4 KW.

  As described above, in the temperature adjusting device 50 shown in FIG. 1 described above, the control valve 40 as the refrigerant control means is provided in the pipe 30 that supplies the cooling water to the condenser 26. The control valve 40 is controlled so that the discharge pressure of the compressor 18 is constant. As shown in FIG. 2, the control valve 40 is provided with a rod-like portion including a valve body 40 b that opens and closes an opening of a valve portion 40 a provided in the cooling water flow path. The rod-like portion is biased in a direction in which the valve body 40b opens the opening of the valve portion 40a by a spring 40c with which the tip end surface abuts. The other end surface of the rod-shaped portion abuts on a bellows 40d to which the pressure of the heat medium discharged from the first compressor 18 is supplied, and the rod-shaped portion is opened against the urging force of the spring 40c. The valve body 40b is urged in the closing direction.

For this reason, when the discharge pressure of the compressor 18 becomes equal to or greater than the urging force of the spring 40c, the valve body 40b is moved by the bellows 40d in a direction to open the opening of the valve portion 40a, and the cooling supplied to the condenser 26 The amount of water increases and the cooling capacity of the condenser 26 is improved. For this reason, the discharge pressure of the compressor 18 decreases.
On the other hand, when the discharge pressure of the compressor 18 becomes equal to or less than the urging force of the spring 40c, the valve body 40b moves in the direction of closing the opening of the valve portion 40a, and the amount of cooling water supplied to the condenser 26 decreases. The cooling capacity of the condenser 26 is reduced. For this reason, the discharge pressure of the compressor 18 becomes high.
Thus, by keeping the discharge pressure of the compressor 18 constant, the temperature adjusting device can be stably operated. Moreover, it can adjust so that the amount of cooling water may be supplied to the condenser 26 more than needed, and it may not discharge | emit out of the system.

By the way, when the temperature setting of the air flow passing through the heater 14 and the cooler 16 is significantly increased, the first control unit 22a fully closes the opening degree of the discharge port on the cooling flow path side of the proportional three-way valve 20. Or while making it the state close | similar to a fully closed state, let the discharge port by the side of a heating flow path be a fully open state or a state close to a fully open state.
When the temperature of the air flow to be adjusted is low, the high-temperature heat medium supplied to the heater 14 in the heating flow path is condensed by the low-temperature air flow in the heater 14 and discharged from the compressor 18. Since the pressure is lower than the predetermined pressure, the control valve 40 is closed and the cooling water is not supplied to the condenser 26.

As described above, when the cooling water is not supplied to the condenser 26, the cooling water supplied from the condenser 26 to the heat absorber 32 is also not supplied. For this reason, the heat absorber 32 becomes an operation stop state, and it does not function as a heat pump.
Moreover, heat exchange between the heat medium that has been radiated and condensed by the heater 14 by adiabatic expansion and cooling by the expansion valve 34 is not performed, and the heat absorber 32 may freeze.

  For this reason, a control valve 44 is provided in the bypass pipe 42 of the control valve 40 as means for supplying cooling water to the heat absorber 32 as in the temperature adjusting device shown in FIG. In the control valve 44, the opening degree of the discharge port on the cooling channel side of the proportional three-way valve 20 is in a fully closed state or a state close to a fully closed state, and the discharge port on the heating channel side is in a fully open state or a state close to a fully open state. When this occurs, it opens by a signal from the first control unit 22a, forcibly supplies cooling water to the condenser 26, and the heat absorber 32 is in an operating state.

Therefore, when the temperature setting of the air flow passing through the heater 14 and the cooler 16 is significantly increased, or when the air flow passing through the heater 14 and the cooler 16 is low temperature, Even when the distribution ratio of the high-temperature heat medium to be distributed becomes zero or in the vicinity thereof, a predetermined amount of cooling water can be supplied to the heat absorber 32 to prevent the heat absorber 32 from freezing and to function as a heat pump. be able to.
When the discharge pressure of the compressor 18 increases and reaches a predetermined pressure, the control valve 44 is closed by a signal from the first control unit 22a. Thereafter, the supply amount of the cooling water supplied to the condenser 26 is controlled so that the pressure on the discharge side of the compressor 18 is kept constant by the control valve 40.

In the temperature adjusting device shown in FIG. 3, the air flow blown to the cooler 16 and cooled is blown to the heater 14. Thus, by first blowing an air flow to the cooler 16, moisture in the air flow can be condensed and dehumidified.
In the temperature adjusting device shown in FIG. 3, when the constituent members are the same as the constituent members of the temperature adjusting device shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. Omitted.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the temperature adjusting device 50 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the first control unit 22 a compares the temperature of the outlet air measured by the temperature sensor 24 with the set temperature, and controls the first distributor 20 and the control valve (bypass valve) 44. The distribution ratio of the heat medium distributed to the heater 14 side (heat pump circuit) and the cooler 16 (cooling circuit) is adjusted by the first distributor 20 and controlled so that the temperature of the outlet air becomes the set temperature. .

1 to 3, the cooling water is used as the heat medium supplied to the condenser 26 and the heat absorber 32. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the condenser 26 and the heat absorber 32 of the heat pump means are used. An air flow by the fan 46 can be used as a heat medium supplied to the fan.
In the temperature control apparatus shown in FIG. 5, the heat medium radiated by the heater 14 is adiabatically expanded by the expansion valve 34 and further cooled and supplied to the heat absorber 32 supplied to the condenser 26 by the fan 46 and heated. Airflow is blown. For this reason, in the heat absorber 32, the heat medium radiated and condensed by the heater 14, adiabatically expanded, and further cooled, absorbs heat from the air flow and is heated.
In the temperature adjusting device shown in FIG. 5, when the constituent members are the same as the constituent members of the temperature adjusting device shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. Omitted.

Further, in place of the proportional three-way valve 20 as the first distributor used in the temperature adjusting device shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, as shown in FIG. 6, two two-way valves 38a and 38b are provided. Can be used. Each of the two gate valves 38a and 38b is controlled by the first controller 22a. The opening degree of each of the two-way valves 38a and 38b is adjusted by the first control unit 22a, and the gaseous high-temperature heat medium compressed and heated by the compressor 18 and the cooling flow path (heat pump circuit) The distribution ratio distributed to the passage (cooling circuit) is adjusted substantially continuously, and the air flow passing through the heater 14 and the cooler 16 is controlled to a predetermined temperature. At that time, the total amount of the high-temperature heat medium distributed to the heater 14 and the high-temperature heat medium distributed to the cooler 16 becomes equal to the high-temperature heat medium discharged from the compressor 18. As described above, the opening degree of the gate valves 38a and 38b is adjusted so that the proportional distribution is continuously performed.
At that time, as shown in FIG. 7, the relationship between the valve opening and the flow rate of each of the gate valves 38a and 38b is not linear. Therefore, the first control unit 22a holds the flow rate characteristic data for each of the gate valves 38a and 38b shown in FIG. 7, and the first control unit 22a receives the flow rate characteristic data for the gate valves 38a and 38b. An opening signal is transmitted to each gate valve 38a, 38b.

Next, FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the temperature / humidity adjusting device 54 according to the present invention, in which the temperature adjusting device 50 and the humidifying / dehumidifying device 52 are combined. The same members as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
The humidifying / dehumidifying device 52 has the following configuration.
That is, the heat medium from the heater 14 is further distributed by the second distributor 60, and the distributed heat medium is a humidity control cooler (evaporator) 64 disposed in the expansion valve 62 and the space unit 10. , An accumulator 36 and a compressor 18 are circulated in this order, a spray nozzle 66 that sprays water for humidifying the air passing through the space unit 10, and water ejected from the spray nozzle 66 And a water amount control valve 68 for adjusting the amount of water.

The second distributor 60 is disposed between the heater 14 and the expansion valve 34. The second distributor 60 may use a proportional three-way valve similarly to the first distributor 20, or may be composed of two two-way valves similar to those shown in FIG.
In the second distributor 60, the total amount of the heat medium distributed to the expansion valve 34 side and the heat medium distributed to the expansion valve 62 side is distributed so as to be equal to the heat medium amount discharged from the heater 14.
The second distributor 60 is controlled by the second controller 70. A signal corresponding to the measured humidity of the outlet side air measured by the humidity sensor 72 provided in the space unit 10 is input to the second control unit 70. The set humidity is input to the second control unit 70 in advance.

The second control unit 70 can also control the opening degree of the water amount control valve 68 and can adjust the amount of water ejected from the spray nozzle 66 into the space unit 10.
The humidity control cooler 64 is disposed between the cooler 16 and the heater 14 in the space unit 10, and the spray nozzle 66 is positioned between the humidity control cooler 64 and the heater 14. Arranged. The spray nozzle 66 includes a plurality of nozzles, and can uniformly spray water (pure water) onto the air that has passed through the humidity control cooler 64.
In addition, the arrangement | positioning order of the cooler 16, the cooler 64 for humidity control, the spray nozzle 66, and the heater 14 in the space unit 10 is not necessarily limited above.

The temperature / humidity adjusting apparatus 54 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above.
The spray nozzle 66 functions as a humidifier, while the humidity control cooler 64 functions as a dehumidifier.
Although the cooler 16 also has a dehumidifying function, the dehumidifying function of the cooler 16 is limited because the cooler 16 and the heater 14 are controlled with temperature priority under the control of the first control unit 22a. There are few things. Therefore, if the humidity control cooler 64 is not provided, the dehumidifying function of the cooler 16 is very small, so that it is difficult to adjust the humidity, particularly in the direction of reducing the humidity.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the spray nozzle as the humidifier and the humidity control cooler 64 as the dehumidifier are provided.
As a result, both adjustment of humidification and dehumidification can be performed satisfactorily.
FIG. 9 is a control block diagram of the second control unit 70.
As shown in FIG. 9, the second controller 70 compares the humidity of the outlet air measured by the humidity sensor 72 with the set humidity, controls the second distributor 60, and the second distributor 60 controls the heat absorber. The distribution ratio of the heat medium distributed to 32 and the cooler 64 is adjusted, the water amount control valve 68 is controlled, the amount of water sprayed from the spray nozzle 66 is adjusted, and the humidity of the outlet air becomes the set humidity. To do so. In this case, the detection result of the humidity of the outlet air by the humidity sensor 72 is fed back to the second control unit 70, and the second control unit 70 continuously diverts the heat medium by the second distributor 60. It can be precisely controlled so that the humidity of the air becomes the set temperature.

Further, as described above, the temperature of the outlet air is controlled by the first control unit 22a, the cooler 16, the heater 14, and the like.
In the present embodiment, a part of the heat medium output from the heater 14 is distributed to the humidity control cooler 64 side by the second distributor 60. Therefore, the heat pump function of the heat pump circuit is somewhat diminished, and the heating capacity of the heater 14 is somewhat diminished. However, it is suitable for temperature / humidity management with a narrow temperature adjustment range in which the temperature / humidity in a clean room where temperature / humidity adjustment has been made to some extent is more precisely and stably managed.

It is the schematic explaining an example of the temperature adjustment apparatus of the temperature / humidity adjustment apparatus in this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the internal structure of the control valve used for the temperature control apparatus shown in FIG. It is the schematic explaining the other example of a temperature control apparatus. It is a block diagram of the temperature control apparatus shown in FIG. It is the schematic explaining the further another example of a temperature control apparatus. It is explanatory drawing explaining the other divider | distributor which can be used with the temperature control apparatus shown in FIGS. It is a graph which shows the flow volume characteristic of the gate valve used with the divider | distributor shown in FIG. It is the schematic explaining an example of the temperature / humidity adjustment apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a control block diagram by a 2nd control part. It is explanatory drawing explaining the conventional temperature control apparatus. It is the schematic explaining the example of improvement which improved the conventional temperature adjustment apparatus to the temperature / humidity adjustment apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

10 Spatial unit 12 Fan 14 Heater 16 Cooler 18 Compressor 20 First distributor (three-way valve)
22a 1st control part 24 temperature sensor 26 condenser 28 expansion valve 30 piping 31 piping 32 heat sink 34 expansion valve 36 accumulator 38a, 38b two-way valve 40 control valve 44 control valve 50 temperature adjustment device 52 humidification / dehumidification device 54 temperature / humidity adjustment Device 60 Second distributor 62 Expansion valve 64 Humidity control cooler 66 Spray nozzle 68 Water amount control valve 70 Second controller 72 Humidity sensor

Claims (5)

A: A part of the heat medium sent out from the compressor is distributed by the first distributor, and is circulated in the order of a heater (condenser), an expansion valve, an evaporator, and the compressor arranged in the space unit. A heat pump circuit and a heat medium sent out from the compressor are distributed by the first distributor, and are circulated in the order of a condenser, an expansion valve, a cooler (evaporator) disposed in the space unit, and the compressor. A temperature control device comprising a cooling circuit to be operated;
B: Part of the heat medium from the heater is distributed by the second distributor, and the distributed heat medium is an expansion valve, a humidity control cooler (evaporator) disposed in the space unit, A humidity control circuit that is circulated in the order of the compressor, a spray nozzle that sprays water for humidifying air passing through the space unit, and an amount of water ejected from the spray nozzle are adjusted. A humidifying / dehumidifying device comprising a water control valve;
C: a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the air that has passed through the cooler, the heater, the humidity control cooler, and the spray nozzle;
D: a humidity sensor that detects humidity of the air that has passed through the cooler, the heater, the humidity control cooler, and the spray nozzle;
E: The temperature of the outlet air detected by the temperature sensor is compared with a set temperature, the first distributor is controlled so that the temperature of the outlet air becomes the set temperature, and the heat pump circuit and the cooling circuit A first control unit for adjusting a distribution ratio of the heat medium distributed to
F: Comparing the humidity of the outlet air detected by the humidity sensor with the set humidity, controlling the second distributor so that the humidity of the outlet air becomes the set humidity, and distributing by the second distributor A temperature / humidity adjusting apparatus comprising: a second control unit that adjusts a distribution ratio of the heat medium to be performed and controls the water amount control valve to adjust the amount of water sprayed from the spray nozzle.   The temperature / humidity adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the heat medium is continuously divided by the second distributor so that the humidity of the outlet air becomes a set humidity.   The temperature / humidity adjusting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heat radiated by the condenser of the cooling circuit is absorbed and used by the evaporator of the heat pump circuit.   The first distributor proportionally distributes the heat medium so that the total amount of the heat medium distributed to the heater side and the heat medium distributed to the cooler side is equal to the amount of the heat medium discharged from the compressor. The temperature / humidity adjusting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the temperature / humidity adjusting device is a proportional three-way valve.   The temperature / humidity adjusting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the first distributor and the second distributor is a two-way valve.

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