JP5325453B2 - Dry air supply device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dry air supply device for obtaining dry air by removing moisture from humid air containing moisture.

  For example, in a resin manufacturing factory, a resin drying process is performed using dry air. The dry air is obtained by dehumidifying the humid air. As an apparatus for supplying the dry air, for example, a dry dehumidifier disclosed in the semiconductor manufacturing system of Patent Document 1 can be cited. This dry dehumidifier generates dry air having a low dew point by removing moisture from humid air containing moisture, and includes a dehumidification rotor, a drive motor, a processing fan, a regeneration fan, a filter, and a heater. .

The dehumidification rotor has a cylindrical shape in which a moisture absorbent is fixed to a porous honeycomb structure whose surface is mainly composed of a predetermined material, and rotates at a predetermined rotation speed by driving of a drive motor. The dehumidification rotor has a moisture absorption zone and a regeneration zone. Then, the dehumidification rotor is rotated by the drive motor, and the dehumidification zone and the regeneration zone are appropriately switched, and the humid air is passed through the dehumidification zone to obtain clean dry air and the waste heat air is passed through the regeneration zone. By regenerating, the hygroscopic material can be used semi-permanently without replacement.
JP 2000-296309 A

  However, the dry dehumidifier disclosed in Patent Document 1 needs to rotate the dehumidification rotor in order to switch between the dehumidification zone and the regeneration zone, and requires a driving motor for the rotation. Furthermore, a processing fan for sending out the dehumidified dry air is required, and a regeneration fan for discharging the exhaust air is required. Therefore, the dry dehumidifier is large in size as a whole, and requires a plurality of movable parts such as a drive motor and each fan, so that there is a problem that failure is likely to occur. In addition, the dehumidifying rotor is rotated so that the waste heat air passes through the regeneration zone to regenerate the moisture absorbing material. For this reason, a drive motor that rotates the dehumidification rotor is required for the regeneration of the hygroscopic material, and the dry dehumidifier becomes large for the regeneration of the hygroscopic material. Furthermore, in the dry dehumidifier, in order to obtain dry air simply by passing the humid air through the dehumidification rotor, the dry air obtained by the load fluctuation (pressure fluctuation or flow fluctuation) on the supply side (primary side) of the humid air ( There was a problem that the dew point on the secondary side was likely to fluctuate.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a dry air supply apparatus that can stably obtain dry air with a low dew point, and that can downsize the apparatus and have a simple configuration.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention described in claim 1 is a dry air supply device for obtaining dry air by removing the moisture of the humid air containing moisture, the supply source of the humid air A pre-dehumidification polymer membrane dryer to which humid air is supplied from and a dehumidification polymer membrane dryer connected in series, and on the downstream side of the dehumidification polymer membrane dryer A pressure reducing valve for reducing the pressure of the dry air from the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer is provided, and the polymer membrane dryer has a housing space for housing the polymer membrane that removes moisture from the humid air containing moisture. A housing having an inflow port for supplying air to the one end surface side of the polymer film in the housing space, and air passing through the polymer film to the outside of the polymer film type dryer. Outlet for discharging, and the polymer membrane A purge introduction port for introducing dry air for regeneration from the other end surface side of the polymer film, the inlet is disposed at one end of the housing in the length direction, and the purge introduction port is Arranged at the other end of the housing in the length direction, the air passing through the polymer film is again passed through the polymer film in a flow path connecting the other end surface side of the polymer film and the outlet. are formed purging orifices to flow into the film, together with the purge conduit to conduit for connecting the outlet port and the pressure reducing valve in the polymer membrane type dryer located downstream is connected, the the purge line is connected to the purge inlet of the polymer membrane type dryer for the first branch conduit is connected to the purge inlet and the present dehumidification of the polymer membrane type dryer for wet the preliminary removal Connected to the second branch pipe Are, the other end surface side of the polymer film from the purge inlet of the polymer membrane type all polymer membrane type dryer by branching the drying air flowing out into the pressure reducing valve from the dryer located downstream The gist of the invention is that the air is passed through the polymer film individually and is allowed to flow again into the polymer film through the purge orifice to regenerate the polymer film.

The gist of the invention according to claim 2 is that, in the dry air supply device according to claim 1, a heater for heating the dry air is provided on the downstream side of the pressure reducing valve.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the dry air supply device according to the first or second aspect, the dry air supply device is installed in a clean room, and an exhaust pipe is connected to each of the polymer membrane dryers. In addition, the gist is that a concentrated exhaust pipe in which all exhaust pipes are concentrated is pulled out of the clean room and concentrated exhaust is performed.

  According to the present invention, dry air having a low dew point can be obtained stably, and the apparatus can be downsized and have a simple configuration.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a dry air supply apparatus embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
The dry air supply device according to the present embodiment is installed in a resin manufacturing factory, and performs drying of resin using dry air. Therefore, the dry air supply device is for removing dry moisture from moisture to obtain dry air. is there. As shown in FIG. 1, the dry air supply device 11 is installed in a clean room CR (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). The dry air supply device 11 is supplied with high-pressure and high-humidity air containing moisture from an air pressure source 12 provided in a manufacturing factory. Therefore, the air pressure source 12 is a supply source of the humid air of the dry air supply device 11.

  An air filter 13 is connected to the downstream side in the supply direction of dry air from the air pressure source 12 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a downstream side) via a conduit 31, and the first exhaust pipe is connected to the air filter 13. 27 is connected. The first discharge pipe 27 is provided with a check valve 27a. The oil mist filter 14 is connected to the downstream side of the air filter 13 via a pipe line 32. A second discharge pipe 28 is connected to the oil mist filter 14. The second discharge pipe 28 is provided with a check valve 28a. The first discharge pipe 27 and the second discharge pipe 28 are connected to a concentrated discharge pipe 29, and the concentrated discharge pipe 29 is drawn out of the clean room CR.

  In addition, a polymer film dryer 15 for preliminary dehumidification as a polymer membrane dryer for preliminary dehumidification is connected to the downstream side of the oil mist filter 14 via a conduit 33. The dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 serving as the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer is connected to the downstream side of the membrane dryer 15 via a conduit 34. The preliminary dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15 and the present dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 are connected in series via a conduit 34.

  Here, the preliminary dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15 and the present dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 will be described in detail. Since the polymer membrane dryers 15 and 16 have the same configuration, the preliminary dehumidification polymer membrane dryer 15 will be described in detail as a specific example, and the details of the dehumidification polymer membrane dryer 16 will be described. The detailed explanation is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (a), a shielding cylinder 18 is accommodated in a cylindrical housing H in the pre-dehumidification polymer membrane dryer 15, and an inner peripheral surface of the housing H and an outer peripheral surface of the shielding cylinder 18 are accommodated. A large number of porous hollow fiber membranes 17 made of a polymer permeable membrane made of polyimide or the like are bundled in an annular shape and accommodated in an annular accommodation space 19 formed therebetween. Further, the inside of the accommodation space 19 is divided into a high pressure region inside the porous hollow fiber membrane 17 and a low pressure region outside the porous hollow fiber membrane 17.

  An inlet 15a communicating with the accommodation space 19 is formed at one end in the length direction of the housing H (the upper end in FIG. 2A), and at a position facing the inlet 15a in the radial direction of the housing H. An outlet 15b is formed. The oil mist filter 14 is connected to the inlet 15a of the pre-dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15 via the conduit 33 so that the humid air flows into the pre-dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15. It has become. In addition, an inlet of the present dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 is connected to the outlet 15 b of the preliminary dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15 via a pipe 34, and flows out of the preliminary dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15. The dehumidified air thus made flows into the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16. The first depressurization valve 23 is connected to the outlet of the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 via a pipe 35 so that the dry air dehumidified in the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 is the first. 1 to the pressure reducing valve 23.

  Further, an exhaust port 15 d for discharging a part of the dehumidified air dehumidified from the humid air to the outside of the pre-dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15 is formed at the center in the length direction of the housing H. As shown in FIG. 1, one end of the first exhaust pipe 20 is connected to the exhaust port 15 d of the polymer film dryer 15 for preliminary dehumidification. One end of the second exhaust pipe 21 is connected to the discharge port of the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16. Further, the other ends of the first exhaust pipe 20 and the second exhaust pipe 21 are connected to one end of the central exhaust pipe 22, and the other end of the central exhaust pipe 22 is drawn out of the clean room CR.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, in the housing H, one end of the shielding cylinder 18 (the upper end in FIG. 2A) communicates with the outlet 15b and the other end of the shielding cylinder 18 (FIG. 2A). (The lower end) communicates with the accommodation space 19. Further, a purge orifice 18 a is formed in the shielding cylinder 18. At the end (lower end) of the housing H, there is formed an introduction port Ha for communicating the inside and outside of the housing H and introducing dry air (purge air) for regenerating the porous hollow fiber membrane 17.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a purge line 36 is connected to the conduit 35 connected to the outlet of the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16, and the purge branch 36 has a first branch. A pipe line 37 and a second branch pipe line 38 are connected. The first branch pipe 37 is connected to the introduction port Ha of the pre-dehumidification polymer membrane dryer 15, and the second branch pipe 38 is connected to the introduction port of the dehumidification polymer membrane dryer 16. . Then, in the state where a plurality (two) of the polymer membrane dryers 15 and 16 are connected in series, the present dehumidifying polymer membrane type located at the most downstream of the two polymer membrane dryers 15 and 16. Dry air obtained from the dryer 16 is individually supplied (introduced) directly to the preliminary dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15 and the present dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16.

  A second pressure reducing valve 24 is connected to the downstream side of the first pressure reducing valve 23 via a conduit 39. The first pressure reducing valve 23 and the second pressure reducing valve 24 are connected in series via a conduit 39. A heater 25 is connected to the downstream side of the second pressure reducing valve 24 via a conduit 40. A silencer filter 26 is connected to the downstream side of the heater 25 through a pipe 41. Then, the air filter 13, the oil mist filter 14, the preliminary dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15, the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16, the first pressure reducing valve 23, and the second pressure reducing valve 24 with respect to the air pressure source 12. The heater 25 and the muffler filter 26 are connected in series by pipes 31 to 35 and 39 to 41 to constitute the dry air supply device 11.

  The air filter 13, the oil mist filter 14, the pre-dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15, the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16, the first pressure reducing valve 23, the second pressure reducing valve 24, the heater 25, and the muffler Each connection between the filter 26 and each of the pipes 31 to 35 and 39 to 41 is performed by screwing a male screw N and a female screw M, as shown in FIG. For example, the seal tape T is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the male screw N of the pipe line 32 at the threaded portion between the air filter 13 and the pipe line 32. In a state where the male screw N of the pipe line 32 and the female screw M of the air filter 13 are screwed together, a sealing agent S is applied to the end surface of the female screw M and the outer peripheral surface of the male screw N.

  Now, according to the dry air supply apparatus 11 of the said structure, when the humid air supplied from the air pressure source 12 passes the air filter 13, a dust etc. are removed. Next, when the humid air passes through the oil mist filter 14, the oil contained in the humid air is removed by the oil mist filter 14. Next, when high-pressure and high-humidity air is supplied to the high-pressure region of the porous hollow fiber membrane 17 in the pre-dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15, as shown in FIG. During the passage through the porous hollow fiber membrane 17, the polymer permeation membrane is subjected to osmotic separation action. Then, moisture in the humid air passing through the porous hollow fiber membrane 17 along the membrane surface is permeated and separated from the porous hollow fiber membrane 17 into the low pressure region by the permeation separation action.

  The humid air that has passed through the porous hollow fiber membrane 17 becomes dehumidified dehumidified air, and most of the dehumidified air passes from the accommodation space 19 through the shielding cylinder 18 to the conduit 34 from the outlet 15b. leak. Part of the dehumidified air passes through the purge orifice 18 a of the shielding cylinder 18 and is discharged to the low pressure region, and is discharged from the first exhaust pipe 20 to the concentrated exhaust pipe 22. Subsequently, the dehumidified air that has flowed out from the outlet 15b of the pre-dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15 flows into the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 and the porous hollow of the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 is obtained. Supplied to the high pressure region of the yarn membrane. Then, while the dehumidified air passes through the porous hollow fiber membrane, the polymer permeable membrane undergoes osmotic separation action, and moisture in the dehumidified air that passes through the porous hollow fiber membrane along the membrane surface permeates and separates. By the action, it is permeated and separated from the porous hollow fiber membrane into the low pressure region.

  And the humid air which passed through the porous hollow fiber membrane becomes dehumidified dry air, and has a low dew point (for example, an ultra-low dew point of minus 90 ° C. or less). Most of the dry air passes through the shielding cylinder and flows out from the outlet to the first pressure reducing valve 23, and part of the dry air passes through the purge orifice from the shielding cylinder and is discharged to the low pressure region. 21 is discharged to the centralized exhaust pipe 22. The air exhausted to the first exhaust pipe 20 and the second exhaust pipe 21 is collected in the central exhaust pipe 22 and exhausted from the central exhaust pipe 22 to the outside of the clean room CR.

  The dry air flowing out from the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 is gradually reduced in pressure by continuously passing through the first pressure reducing valve 23 and the second pressure reducing valve 24, and the air sound due to the dry air is silenced. Is done. Furthermore, when the dry air passes through the heater 25, the dry air is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater 25. In addition, the temperature (predetermined temperature) of the dry air heated by the heater 25 is a temperature suitable for being used in the resin drying process, and is appropriately changed according to the drying target. Thereafter, air noise due to the dry air is silenced by the silencer filter 26. The dry air that has passed through the muffler filter 26 is used in the resin drying process.

  Regeneration of the porous hollow fiber membranes 17 of the polymer membrane dryers 15 and 16 is performed by dry air with a low dew point flowing out from the polymer membrane dryer 16 for dehumidification. First, dry air with a low dew point dehumidified by the present dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 passes through the first and second branch pipes 37 and 38 and the introduction port Ha from the purge pipe 36, and the shielding cylinder 18. Introduced in. Then, the dry air passes through the purge orifice 18 a and is supplied into the porous hollow fiber membrane 17, moisture is removed from the porous hollow fiber membrane 17 that has penetrated moisture, and the porous hollow fiber membrane 17 is regenerated.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The dry air supply device 11 includes a pre-dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15 and a dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 connected in series. The humid air supplied from the air pressure source 12 is pre-dehumidified by the pre-dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15 and then dehumidified again by the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16. For this reason, the pre-dehumidification polymer membrane dryer 15 absorbs load fluctuations such as pressure fluctuations and flow fluctuations of the humid air depending on the air pressure source 12 etc., temperature fluctuations depending on the outside air temperature, etc. Dehumidified air can be supplied to the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16. Further, by dehumidifying the dehumidified air with the present dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16, the dehumidified air can be further dehumidified, and stable dry air with a low dew point that is not affected by load fluctuations can be obtained. As a result, since dry air with a low dew point is stably supplied, the drying speed of the resin can be increased.

  (2) According to the dry air supply device 11, high-pressure humid air is sent from the air pressure source 12 to the dry air supply device 11, and the high-humidity air is supplied to the pre-dehumidification polymer membrane dryer 15 and the dehumidification polymer membrane dryer. Dry air can be obtained simply by passing 16. Therefore, as in the background art, a driving motor for rotating a dehumidifying rotor provided with a moisture absorbing material, a processing fan for sending dehumidified dry air, a regeneration fan for discharging exhaust air, and humid air No moving parts such as a pump to send out are required. For this reason, the dry air supply device 11 can be reduced in size and can have a simple configuration, the number of moving parts can be reduced, the frequency of failure can be reduced, and electric power for moving the moving parts is also required. Therefore, power consumption can be reduced.

  (3) Since the dry air supply device 11 can be downsized as in the effect (2) of the above-described embodiment, the dry air supply device 11 can be installed in the clean room CR. Therefore, for example, compared with the case where the dry air supply device is buried underground, the dry air supply device 11 can be easily installed in the clean room CR, and further, dry air can be supplied from the underground into the clean room CR. Since piping or the like is not required, the configuration of the dry air supply device 11 can be simplified.

  (4) The dry air that has flowed out of the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 passes through the first branch conduit 37 and the second branch conduit 38 from the purge conduit 36, and the preliminary dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15. And is introduced (supplied) into the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16. In each of the polymer membrane dryers 15 and 16, the porous hollow fiber membrane 17 is regenerated by dry air. Since the dry air flowing out from the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 has a lower dew point than the dehumidifying air flowing out from the pre-dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15, the porous hollow fiber membrane 17 can be efficiently regenerated. it can. Therefore, the dry air supply device 11 does not require a movable part (driving motor for driving the dehumidifying rotor) to regenerate the material (humidity absorbing material) for dehumidifying the humid air as in the background art. The supply device 11 can be reduced in size.

  (5) The dry air that has flowed out of the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 passes through the first pressure reducing valve 23 and the second pressure reducing valve 24 and is decompressed in stages. For this reason, when using dry air in the drying process of resin, the sound volume at the time of being discharged | emitted from the dry air supply apparatus 11 can be reduced. Furthermore, since the dry air decompressed by the second pressure reducing valve 24 passes through the silencing filter 26, the noise of the dry air can be reliably suppressed.

  (6) The dry air flowing out from the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 can be heated by the heater 25. Therefore, in the resin drying process, dry air heated to a temperature suitable for drying can be supplied toward the resin, and the working efficiency of the resin drying process can be improved.

  (7) Air filter 13, oil mist filter 14, preliminary dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15, main dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16, first pressure reducing valve 23, second pressure reducing valve 24, heater 25, and The silencer filter 26 and the pipes 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 39, 40, and 41 are connected by screwing the male screw N and the female screw M, respectively. A sealing tape T is wound around the male screw N, and a sealing agent S is applied to a threaded portion between the male screw N and the female screw M. For this reason, the seal tape T and the sealant S can eliminate air leakage from the threaded portion of the male screw N and the female screw M.

  (8) Part of the dehumidified air discharged from the preliminary dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15 is discharged from the central exhaust pipe 22 to the outside of the clean room CR via the first exhaust pipe 20, and this dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer Part of the dry air discharged from 16 is discharged from the centralized exhaust pipe 22 to the outside of the clean room CR via the second exhaust pipe 21. Therefore, the exhaust from the polymer membrane dryers 15 and 16 is not discharged into the clean room CR, and the clean room CR can be maintained in a clean state.

  (9) The first exhaust pipe 20 and the second exhaust pipe 21 are connected to the concentrated exhaust pipe 22, and exhaust from the pre-dehumidification polymer membrane dryer 15 and the main dehumidification polymer membrane dryer 16 is collectively performed. I did it. Therefore, compared with the case where each of the first exhaust pipe 20 and the second exhaust pipe 21 is extended to the outside of the clean room CR, the amount of pipe used can be suppressed and the manufacturing cost of the dry air supply device 11 can be suppressed.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
Each of the first exhaust pipe 20 and the second exhaust pipe 21 may be drawn out of the clean room CR, and exhaust from the preliminary dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15 and the main dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16 is concentrated in the exhaust pipe 22 It is not necessary to put it together.

○ The heater 25 may be omitted.
The polymer membrane dryer may be further provided on the downstream side of the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16. Alternatively, the polymer membrane dryer may be further provided downstream of the preliminary dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 15.

A further pressure reducing valve may be provided on the downstream side of the second pressure reducing valve 24. Alternatively, only one pressure reducing valve may be provided on the downstream side of the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer 16.
Next, the technical idea that can be grasped from the above embodiment and other examples will be described below.

(1) The dry air supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of the pressure reducing valves are provided.
(2) The dry air supply device according to claim 2, wherein a silencer filter is provided downstream of the heater.

The figure which shows the dry air supply apparatus of embodiment. (A) is a figure which shows typically the polymer film type dryer for preliminary dehumidification, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the screwing part of an external thread and an internal thread.

Explanation of symbols

  CR: Clean room, 11: Dry air supply device, 12: Air pressure source as supply source, 15 ... Preliminary dehumidification polymer membrane dryer as predehumidification polymer membrane dryer, 16 ... Main dehumidification polymer The present dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer as a membrane dryer, 20 ... first exhaust pipe, 21 ... second exhaust pipe, 22 ... concentrated exhaust pipe, 23 ... first pressure reducing valve, 24 ... second pressure reducing valve, 25. Heater.

Claims (3)

A dry air supply device for obtaining dry air by removing moisture from humid air containing moisture,
A polymer membrane dryer for preliminary dehumidification to which humid air is supplied from a source of humid air and a polymer membrane dryer for main dehumidification are connected in series, and the polymer membrane for main dehumidification is provided. A pressure reducing valve for decompressing the dry air from the dehumidifying polymer membrane dryer on the downstream side of the dryer,
The polymer film type dryer includes a housing having a housing space for housing a polymer film that removes moisture of moisture containing moisture, and the housing includes one of the polymer films in the housing space. An inlet for supplying air to the end face side, an outlet for discharging the air that has passed through the polymer membrane to the outside of the polymer membrane dryer, and drying air for regenerating the polymer membrane as the polymer membrane And a purge introduction port introduced from the other end surface side of the housing, the inflow port being disposed at one end portion in the length direction of the housing, and the purge introduction port being disposed at the other end portion in the length direction of the housing. Has been placed,
In the flow path connecting the other end surface side of the polymer film and the outlet, a purge orifice for allowing the air that has passed through the polymer film to flow into the polymer film again is formed,
Together with the polymer membrane type purge conduit to the conduit which connects the pressure reducing valve and the outlet of the dryer located downstream is connected to the purge conduit height of the moisture the preliminary removal wherein a first branch conduit connected to the purge inlet molecular membrane type dryer and a second branch conduit connected to the purge inlet of the polymer membrane type dryer for the dehumidification is connected,
The dry air flowing out from the polymer membrane dryer located at the most downstream to the pressure reducing valve is branched to directly and individually from the purge inlet of all polymer membrane dryers to the other end surface of the polymer membrane. A dry air supply device for supplying air and allowing the air that has passed through the polymer film to flow again into the polymer film through the purge orifice to regenerate the polymer film.   The dry air supply device according to claim 1, wherein a heater for heating the dry air is provided on the downstream side of the pressure reducing valve.   2. The dry air supply device is installed in a clean room, exhaust pipes are connected to each of the polymer membrane dryers, and a central exhaust pipe in which all exhaust pipes are concentrated is drawn out of the clean room to perform central exhaust. Or the dry-air supply apparatus of Claim 2.

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