JP5423774B2 - Bath water heater - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a bath water heater.

  Demand for bath water heaters for general households that excel in energy conservation is expanding rapidly. In particular, all electrification is accelerating in newly built houses and renovated properties, and it is on the rise. In recent years, energy saving technology has rapidly advanced bath water heaters, while products having a function of improving cleanliness such as automatic cleaning of piping in the system have been released by various companies.

  As a means for realizing the function of improving cleanliness, there is a bath hot water supply apparatus provided with a means for injecting bubbles into a circulation pipe for reheating (for example, see Patent Document 1). This is equipped with an ejector as a means for injecting air bubbles into the recirculation circulation pipe, which cleans and removes dirt on the inner wall of the recuperation heat exchanger and the recirculation circulation pipe. The bath water at the time can be kept clean. In addition, a unit that generates silver ions is placed in a part of the piping of the water heater main body, and after bathing, hot water containing silver ions that have a sterilizing and deodorizing effect is flowed to the bathtub and washroom walls, so A system having an effect of reducing slime has also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In addition, as a method of generating ions in the same way, recently, every time mineral water (zinc oxide) ion unit provided in a hot water storage unit is used to make mineral hot water and fill the bath, A system for automatically cleaning mineral pipes has also been proposed (see Non-Patent Document 1, for example).

JP 2009-186092 A JP 2011-92858 A

Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd., “Eco-Cute for Home Use, Newly Released,“ Energy Saving & Comfortable Bathing with Mineral Clean Water ””, [online], June 14, 2011, Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd. website (News Release), [2011 Search September 13], Internet <URL: http://panasonic-denko.co.jp/corp/news/1106/1106-6.htm>

  The conventional technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a function of sucking an external gas from a gas suction port of an ejector for bubble injection provided in a recirculation piping for additional cooking and introducing bubbles into the fluid. The ejector system includes a constricted portion, a fluid inlet / outlet, and a gas suction port into which gas is injected in a pipe line, and the flow velocity of the fluid is increased in the narrowed part of the pipe and is generated in that portion. By utilizing the decompression phenomenon, external gas is sucked from the gas suction port, and the air rapidly expands and collapses under reduced pressure to generate bubbles. For this reason, it is possible to generate bubbles in the fluid basically without using a pump or the like. However, this ejector system has a problem that bubbles with a small diameter are hardly generated. In this method, since air bubbles are generated by pressure fluctuation with respect to air, the air cannot be sheared finely, so that it is difficult to generate micro bubbles having a diameter of several tens of micrometers or less. In addition, the self-sufficing method that sucks the external air using the decompression phenomenon of the constriction part is difficult to greatly increase the air suction amount, and Patent Document 1 proposes forced air supply by applying a pump. However, there are problems such as increased costs and difficulty in securing long-term reliability (stable operation of 10 years or more) of the pump itself. For this reason, the amount of bubbles generated is not sufficient and the bubble diameter is large, so that bubbles disappear in the circulation piping for reheating up to the bathtub due to foaming or adhering to the inner wall of the piping. Resulting in. If only the purpose of pipe cleaning is intended, the object can be achieved even with the specifications of such a bubble generator. On the other hand, microbubbles (referring to bubbles having a diameter of 10 to several tens of micrometers when they are generated) are generally known to have various functions, and are also useful for bath water in a bathtub. It is possible to express various functions. In the prior art of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that sufficient bubbles do not reach the bath water in the bathtub, and a washing function in the bath, a warm bath effect of the bath water, and the like cannot be expected.

  Moreover, in the prior art shown by patent documents 2 and 3, there existed a subject that a resistant microbe generate | occur | produced for the system which expresses the antibacterial property by silver ion or zinc ion. For example, silver ions can have an antibacterial effect on Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis (Bacillus), yeast (Rodotorula), etc., but it is known that the antibacterial effect is not high on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pseudomonas). When antibacterial means such as ions are applied, there is a problem that resistant bacteria are generated. In particular, Pseudomonas aeruginosa generates unpleasant odors and slime as it propagates, which may cause Legionella bacteria. It is also known to be less effective against mold. Zinc ions are the same as silver ions.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bath water heater that can reliably supply microbubbles to a bathtub.

The bath water heater according to the present invention includes a circulation pipe that circulates the bath water led out from the bathtub and returns it to the bathtub, a circulation pump that circulates the bath water in the circulation pipe, and a small amount in the bath water. A first microbubble generator capable of generating bubbles, and a second microbubble generator provided downstream of the first microbubble generator of the circulation pipe and capable of generating microbubbles in the bath water, The first microbubble generator, the circulation pump, and the second microbubble generator are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side of the circulation pipe. The first microbubble generator is arranged while circulating the bath water through the circulation pipe. The microbubbles are supplied to the bathtub by generating microbubbles with the microbubble generator and the second microbubble generator.
Further, the bath water heater according to the present invention is provided in the middle of the circulation pipe, the circulation pipe for circulating the bath water led out from the bathtub and returning it to the bathtub, the circulation pump for circulating the bath water in the circulation pipe, and the bath water A first microbubble generator capable of generating microbubbles at the same time, and a second microbubble generator provided downstream of the first microbubble generator of the circulation pipe and capable of generating microbubbles in the bath water, The average diameter of the microbubbles generated by the first microbubble generator is smaller than the average diameter of the microbubbles generated by the second microbubble generator, and the first microbubble generator generates the first while circulating the bath water in the circulation pipe. The microbubbles are supplied to the bathtub by generating microbubbles with the microbubble generator and the second microbubble generator.

  According to the present invention, since the amount of dissolved air in the bath water can be increased by the effect of the micro bubbles generated from the first micro bubble generator, the second micro-bubble generator can be used for the flow of high-concentration dissolved air. By supplying to, the amount of microbubbles generated from the second microbubble generator can be increased. For this reason, even if bubbles occur in the middle of the pipe and the diameter increases, or even if an event that adheres to the inner wall of the pipe and disappears, a sufficient number of bubbles can be maintained, A sufficient amount of microbubbles can reliably reach the bathtub. For this reason, the effect that the warm bath effect by the micro bubble in a bathtub and the adhesion of dirt, sebum dirt, etc. to the bathtub inner surface by a micro bubble is acquired.

It is a block diagram which shows the bath hot-water supply apparatus of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating an example of the structure of the microbubble generator which can be used as a 1st microbubble generator and a 2nd microbubble generator, and its principle. It is a graph which shows the result of the experiment conducted in order to confirm the increase effect of the amount of dissolved oxygen in water by microbubble generation. It is a graph which shows the result of the experiment conducted in order to confirm the generation amount of the micro bubble in the bath hot-water supply apparatus of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the bath hot-water supply apparatus of Embodiment 2 of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the element which is common in each figure, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a bath hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The bath hot water supply apparatus of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 has a function of storing the amount of heat for hot water supply in the hot water storage tank 1 and a reheating function of reheating (heating or keeping warm) the bath water 6 of the bathtub 5. doing. The hot water storage tank 1 is connected to the heat pump unit 2. During the boiling operation, the cold water 3 in the hot water storage tank 1 is sent to the heat pump unit 2 to be converted into hot water 4 by the heat supplied by the refrigeration cycle, and returns to the hot water storage tank 1. The expanded water corresponding to the volume expansion of the water during the boiling operation is drained from the relief valve 31 through the drain pipe 30 connected to the hot water storage tank 1 to the outside of the system. Connected to the hot water storage tank 1 is a water supply pipe 8 branched from a water pipe 7 for supplying the water. The hot water 4 in the hot water storage tank 1 is sent to the faucet 9 through the hot water supply pipe 10 and supplied from the faucet 9 to the bathtub 5.

  The bath water heater of the present embodiment has a reheating heat exchanger 11 for reheating the bath water 6 in the bathtub 5 and heating for supplying the hot water 4 in the hot water storage tank 1 to the reheating heat exchanger 11. Pipe 12, circulation pump 13 that circulates hot water 4 through heating pipe 12, recirculation circulation pipe 15 that connects bathtub 5 and reheating heat exchanger 11, and recirculation circulation pipe 15 that relies on bathtub 5 A circulation pump 14 for circulating the bath water 6, and a first microbubble generator 16 and a second microbubble generator 17 for injecting microbubbles disposed in the middle of the recirculation circulation pipe 15. It has been. The first microbubble generator 16, the circulation pump 14, the second microbubble generator 17, and the reheating heat exchanger 11 are directed from the upstream side to the downstream side of the recirculation circulation pipe 15. Are arranged in this order.

  When reheating the bath water 6 in the bathtub 5, the hot water 4 is sent from the hot water storage tank 1 to the reheating heat exchanger 11 through the heating pipe 12 by the circulation pump 13. On the other hand, the bath water 6 in the bathtub 5 is sent by the circulation pump 14 to the reheating heat exchanger 11 through the recirculation circulation pipe 15. In the reheating heat exchanger 11, the hot water 4 is deprived of heat by the heat exchange between the hot water 4 in the hot water storage tank 1 and the bath water 6, and is returned to the hot water storage tank 1 through the heating pipe 12. The water 6 receives heat, rises in temperature, and returns to the bathtub 5 through the circulation pipe 15 for reheating.

  In the bath water heater of the present embodiment, a water supply pipe 18 for supplying water to the bathtub 5 is connected to the faucet 9, a water supply pipe 19 for supplying clean water to the recirculation circulation pipe 15, and the water supply pipe 19 An installed microbubble generator 20 for injecting bubbles is further provided. The microbubble generator 20 is used when cleaning the recirculation circulation pipe 15. In the above description, descriptions of normal on-off valves and check valves attached to the piping are omitted.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of the structure of a microbubble generator that can be used as the first microbubble generator 16 and the second microbubble generator 17 and its principle. As the first microbubble generator 16 and the second microbubble generator 17 in the bath water heater of the present embodiment, a microbubble generator 21 having a configuration as shown in FIG. 2 can be preferably used. As shown in FIG. 2, the microbubble generator 21 includes an air introduction unit 22, a water introduction unit 23, a gas / liquid introduction unit 24, a swirl flow generation unit 25, and a microbubble generation unit 26. Yes. The water flow in the water introduction part 23 formed by the circulation pump 14 is mixed with the air taken in from the air introduction part 22 in the gas-liquid introduction part 24 and becomes a gas-liquid mixed fluid in the swirl flow generation part 25. Inflow. The swirl flow generation unit 25 is a structure having a conical swirl flow generation space in which the cross section of the internal channel smoothly decreases in diameter toward the outlet. The gas-liquid mixed fluid from the gas-liquid introducing unit 24 flows into the bottom of the cone of the swirling flow generating unit 25 from the tangential direction, and the water flow in the gas-liquid mixed fluid swirls along the wall surface of the swirling flow generating unit 25 by centrifugal force. The air in the gas-liquid mixed fluid is separated from the water flow and passes through the central axis of the swirl flow generating unit 25, and the narrowed air column swirls at a high speed while swirling at high speed. Head to the exit. The exit of the swirling flow generating unit 25 becomes a merged portion where the high-speed swirling water flow and the air flow are merged again. Here, a sudden decompression phenomenon occurs, so that the air rapidly expands and separates from the air column, generating bubbles. To do. At this time, the action of the high-speed swirling flow to further shear air finely works, and microbubbles having a diameter of several tens of micrometers or less can be efficiently generated. In the present specification, microbubbles, micronanobubbles, and nanobubbles are collectively referred to as microbubbles.

  In general, a microbubble is defined as a bubble having a diameter of 10 to several tens of micrometers when generated, and the microbubble has a property of contracting after the generation. It is known that microbubbles will eventually change to micronanobubbles (bubbles with a diameter of several hundred nanometers to 10 micrometers) as shrinkage proceeds, and that the shrinkage rate will increase sharply when the diameter becomes 8 micrometers or less. It is known that if the shrinkage further progresses, the bubble squirting phenomenon is added to accelerate the shrinkage and eventually the bubble disappears (reference: Hirofumi Taisei, microbubbles as future materials, Future materials vol.9 No.1).

  The microbubbles generated by the first microbubble generator 16 are preferably particularly small. That is, the first microbubble generator 16 is more preferably capable of generating micro / nano bubbles, and more preferably capable of generating nano bubbles (bubbles having a diameter of 1 micrometer or less). On the other hand, the microbubbles generated by the second microbubble generator 17 may be larger in diameter than the microbubbles generated by the second microbubble generator 17. That is, it is preferable that the second microbubble generator 17 can generate microbubbles or micronanobubbles. Thus, the average diameter of the microbubbles generated by the first microbubble generator 16 is preferably smaller than the average diameter of the microbubbles generated by the second microbubble generator 17.

  The first microbubble generator 16 and the second microbubble generator 17 have basically the same structure as shown in FIG. 2, but the first microbubble generator 16 has the second microbubble generator 16. Compared with the bubble generating device 17, the structure is tuned so that the swirling speed (swivel angular speed) of the water flow of the swirling flow generating unit 25 is increased and the speed at which the bubbles are ejected after being separated from the air column is decreased. (Reference: Shuichi Yamaguchi, Characteristics of microbubbles generated by swirling jets, Japan Aerospace Society 36th Fluid Mechanics Performance) Thereby, the diameter of the microbubble which the 1st microbubble generator 16 produces | generates can be made smaller than the diameter of the microbubble which the 2nd microbubble generator 17 produces | generates.

  In the present embodiment, the bath water in which microbubbles are generated by the first microbubble generator 16 flows into the second microbubble generator 17. As described above, the microbubbles have a property of contracting after generation, and eventually disappear. For this reason, since the air of the microbubble produced | generated by the 1st microbubble generator 16 melt | dissolves in the bath water which flows into the 2nd microbubble generator 17, the amount of dissolved air becomes high. As the amount of dissolved air in the bath water flowing into the second microbubble generator 17 increases, the amount of microbubbles generated from the second microbubble generator 17 increases.

  The smaller the diameter of the microbubbles generated by the first microbubble generator 16, the shorter the time until the microbubbles disappear, so the amount of dissolved air in the bath water flowing into the second microbubble generator 17 Can be increased more efficiently. For this reason, the average diameter of the microbubbles generated by the first microbubble generator 16 is made smaller than the average diameter of the microbubbles generated by the second microbubble generator 17, preferably the first microbubble generator. The amount of microbubbles generated from the second microbubble generator 17 can be further increased by generating micronanobubbles at 16, more preferably by generating nanobubbles at the first microbubble generator 16. .

  FIG. 3 is a graph showing the results of an experiment conducted to confirm the effect of increasing the amount of dissolved oxygen in water due to the generation of microbubbles. In this experiment, the amount of dissolved oxygen cannot be measured directly in the pipe, so a 10 L / min water pump and a microbubble generator are connected to the pipe in a 20 liter container to form a circulation system. The measurement was performed with a measuring device for dissolved oxygen in the container water (ORP METER RM-12P TOA Electronics Ltd) while generating microbubbles or micronanobubbles in the container. As a result of this experiment, as shown in FIG. 3, when microbubbles were generated, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water flow could be increased about twice as much as that of tap water. In addition, when micro-nano bubbles were generated, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water stream could be increased more than twice compared with tap water. As shown in this experimental result, the amount of dissolved air in the water can be increased by generating microbubbles. In that case, the amount of dissolved air in water can be further increased as the diameter of the microbubbles is smaller.

  FIG. 4 is a graph showing the results of an experiment conducted for confirming the amount of microbubbles generated in the bath water heater of this embodiment. In this experiment, the number of bubbles generated in the second microbubble generator 17 when the first microbubble generator 16 and the second microbubble generator 17 generate microbubbles was measured. As a comparative example, the generation of bubbles in the second microbubble generator 17 when the microbubbles are generated only by the second microbubble generator 17 without generating the microbubbles by the first microbubble generator 16. The number was counted. As a result of this experiment, as shown in FIG. 4, when microbubbles are generated by the first microbubble generator 16 and the second microbubble generator 17, only the second microbubble generator 17 is generated. Compared with the case where microbubbles were generated, the bubble generation amount almost doubled.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the amount of dissolved air in the bath water flowing into the second microbubble generator 17 can be increased by generating microbubbles with the first microbubble generator 16, As a result, the amount of microbubbles generated by the second microbubble generator 17 can be increased. For this reason, an event has occurred in which microbubbles are mixed in the recirculation circulation pipe 15 to increase the bubble diameter or the microbubbles adhere to the inner wall of the recirculation circulation pipe 15 and disappear. However, since a sufficient number of bubbles can be maintained, a sufficient amount of microbubbles can reliably reach the bathtub 5. For this reason, the effect that the warm bath effect by the microbubble in the bathtub 5 and the adhesion of dirt, sebum dirt, etc. to the inner surface of the bathtub 5 is suppressed by the microbubble is obtained. In addition, the dirt adhering to the recirculation circulation pipe 15 and the reheating heat exchanger 11 may be washed with the micro bubbles generated by the first micro bubble generation device 16 and the second micro bubble generation device 17. Is possible. Also, the first microbubble generator 16 and the second microbubble generator 17 can be installed in a place away from the bathtub 5 (for example, in the hot water storage tank unit).

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the air biting of the circulation pump 14 can be suppressed, whereby unstable water supply and noise generation can be suppressed. If the first microbubble generator 16 generates a large bubble with a diameter exceeding several tens of micrometers, the circulation pump 14 causes air-engagement and resonates in the house through unstable water supply and piping due to pulsation. Noise will be generated. Usually, the microbubble generator generates bubbles using the water flow of a circulation pump located upstream. In contrast, the first microbubble generator 16 in the present embodiment is intended to increase the amount of dissolved air, and the microbubbles having a smaller diameter than the microbubbles generated by the second microbubble generator 17; More preferably, the micro-nano bubbles having a diameter of 10 micrometers or less, and more preferably the nano-bubbles having a diameter of 1 micrometer or less are generated. Therefore, the micro-bubbles generated by the first micro-bubble generator 16 are downstream of the circulation pump. Even if it flows into 14, air biting does not occur. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first microbubble generator 16 and the second microbubble generator 17 can be operated by a single circulation pump 14 disposed between them, and there is no need to add a pump. A system can be assembled with a minimum cost increase.

  In addition, the first and second microbubble generators 16 and 17 included in the bath water heater of this embodiment can generate micro-nano bubbles or microbubbles with high efficiency in principle. It progresses actively, and with this phenomenon, the bubbles can have a large negative potential. It is known that bubbles inherently have a negative potential, but the amount of potential tends to increase with contraction and has a characteristic that the diameter becomes maximum around 10 to 20 micrometers. ing. For this reason, electrostatic repulsion has the effect of suppressing agitation and disappearance due to adhesion to the inner wall of the pipe (reference: Hirofumi Taisei, microbubbles as future materials, future materials vol. 9 No. 1).

  A switching valve (not shown) capable of switching between a state in which the bath water circulating in the recirculation circulation pipe 15 is allowed to pass through the first and second microbubble generators 16 and 17 and a state in which the bath water is not allowed to pass through is provided. When the generation of microbubbles is unnecessary, the bath water circulating through the recirculation circulation pipe 15 may be switched so as not to pass through the first and second microbubble generators 16 and 17.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the microbubble is supplied to the bathtub 5 using the circulation pump 14 for circulating the bath water 6 and the circulation pipe 15 for reheating when the bathtub 5 is replenished, the pump and the piping can be used together. , Cost increase can be suppressed. However, in this invention, the circulation piping and circulation pump at the time of supplying microbubbles to the bathtub 5 may not be combined with a reheating.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment described above, and the same or corresponding parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Is omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram illustrating a bath hot water supply apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the recirculation piping 15 is provided with a bypass piping 27 that bypasses the reheating heat exchanger 11. Both ends of the bypass pipe 27 are connected to the recirculation circulation pipe 15 via three-way solenoid valves 28 and 29 (flow path switching means), respectively. The switching of the three-way solenoid valves 28 and 29 is electrically controlled. In this embodiment, when supplying microbubbles to the bathtub 5, the bath water is circulated without passing through the reheating heat exchanger 11 by switching the three-way solenoid valves 28 and 29 to the bypass pipe 27 side. Can be made. As a result, the pressure loss acting on the first microbubble generator 16 and the second microbubble generator 17 can be reduced, and is generated inside the reheating heat exchanger 11 having a thin tube structure. By not allowing the microbubbles to pass therethrough, it is possible to suppress the disappearance of the bubbles due to bubble agglomeration and wall surface adhesion. For this reason, more microbubbles can be supplied to the bathtub 5.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hot water storage tank 2 Heat pump unit 3 Cold water 4 Hot water 5 Bath 6 Bath water 7 Water supply pipe 8, 18, 19 Water supply pipe 9 Faucet 10 Hot water supply pipe 11 Reheating heat exchanger 13, 14 Circulation pump 15 Recirculation piping 16 1 micro-bubble generating device 17 second micro-bubble generating device 21 micro-bubble generating device 22 air introducing unit 23 water introducing unit 24 gas-liquid introducing unit 25 swirl flow generating unit 26 micro bubble generating unit 27 bypass piping 28, 29 three-way electromagnetic Valve 30 Drain pipe 31 Relief valve

Claims (6)

A circulation pipe that circulates the bath water derived from the bathtub and returns it to the bathtub;
A circulation pump for circulating bath water through the circulation pipe;
A first microbubble generator provided in the middle of the circulation pipe and capable of generating microbubbles in bath water;
A second microbubble generator provided downstream of the first microbubble generator of the circulation pipe and capable of generating microbubbles in bath water;
With
From the upstream side to the downstream side of the circulation pipe, the first microbubble generator, the circulation pump, and the second microbubble generator are arranged in this order.
A bath water heater for supplying microbubbles to the bathtub by generating microbubbles with the first microbubble generator and the second microbubble generator while circulating bath water through the circulation pipe. A circulation pipe that circulates the bath water derived from the bathtub and returns it to the bathtub;
A circulation pump for circulating bath water through the circulation pipe;
A first microbubble generator provided in the middle of the circulation pipe and capable of generating microbubbles in bath water;
A second microbubble generator provided downstream of the first microbubble generator of the circulation pipe and capable of generating microbubbles in bath water;
With
The average diameter of the microbubbles, wherein the first micro-bubble generating device generates the rather smaller than the average diameter of the microbubbles and the second micro-bubble generating device generates,
A bath water heater for supplying microbubbles to the bathtub by generating microbubbles with the first microbubble generator and the second microbubble generator while circulating bath water through the circulation pipe . The bath hot water supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first microbubble generator is capable of generating microbubbles having a diameter of 1 micrometer or less. At least one of the first microbubble generator and the second microbubble generator has a structure in which a cross section of an internal flow path for rotating a water fluid or a gas-liquid mixed fluid at a high speed has a circular shape, The bath hot-water supply apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3 which becomes a structure which discharge | releases a microbubble from the exit part of the said structure. At least a portion and the circulation pump of the circulation pipe is any one of claims 1 to 4 is also used to bath water to Reheating heat exchanger for reheating the bath water in the bath as a path for circulating The bath water heater described in the item. The circulation pipe includes a bypass pipe that bypasses the reheating heat exchanger, and a flow path switching unit that switches a bath water passage path between the reheating heat exchanger side and the bypass piping side,
When replenishing the bath water of the bathtub, the flow path switching means is switched to the reheating heat exchanger side, and when supplying microbubbles to the bathtub, the flow path switching means is switched to the bypass piping side. The bath hot-water supply apparatus of Claim 5 switched to.

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