JP6746069B2 - Plant cultivation facility - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a plant cultivation facility, and more particularly to a plant cultivation facility provided with a humidity adjusting mechanism used for cultivating a plant in consideration of the growth environment of the plant.

Conventionally, plant cultivation has been carried out in a plant factory for the purpose of supplying safe food throughout the year.
In such a plant factory, plants can be cultivated in a closed or semi-closed space in which the internal environment is controlled, so that the plants can be produced safely and systematically.
Further, in such a plant factory, generally, solution cultivation is used to grow plants using artificial light or natural light as a light source, and vegetables and fruits are controlled by controlling the temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration in the space. Is improving productivity.
Proper control of each of these parameters has been a conventional problem, and among these, it is necessary to control the humidity in order to optimize the amount of transpiration from the leaves.
Generally, in a plant factory, the cultivation environment is controlled by using an air conditioner, but in such a control by an air conditioner, both temperature and humidity may not be properly controlled.
In other words, the internal environment of the plant factory is likely to have a relatively high temperature, which causes the water evaporation from the stomata of the plant to become active, causing the plant to be in a dry state and causing water stress. As a result, the pores are closed so as not to let the water in the plant escape, leading to a decrease in carbon dioxide absorption efficiency and a decrease in the amount of photosynthesis, which hinders the productivity of vegetables. Therefore, in the plant factory, the air conditioner is always used to keep the indoor temperature constant.
However, when the air conditioner operates, the humidity will decrease this time (that is, it will be dehumidified), and with this decrease in humidity, there will be a problem that photosynthesis of plants will be hindered, leading to a decrease in production. It was
As described above, in the control by the air conditioner, the temperature and the humidity may not be properly controlled in some cases, and under such circumstances, it is necessary to construct a system for appropriately controlling the temperature and the humidity.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner for a greenhouse (plant factory).
The greenhouse (plant factory) of Patent Document 1 is configured so that the temperature and humidity can be controlled by a dehumidifying rotor provided in the outside air conditioning chamber and a heat exchanger and a humidifier provided downstream thereof.
The dehumidifying rotor contains a hygroscopic agent (composed of polymer adsorbent), and the air returned from the greenhouse (plant factory) to the outside air conditioning room is adjusted to a specified humidity by the dehumidifying roller and humidifier. At the same time, it is adjusted to a predetermined temperature by a heat exchanger and then supplied to a greenhouse (plant factory).
Thus, according to the technique of Patent Document 1, the air whose temperature and humidity are adjusted by the outside air adjusting chamber is continuously supplied to the greenhouse (plant factory).

Japanese Patent No. 5325076

By the way, as a method of performing humidity adjustment (particularly, dehumidification), there are roughly classified a "cooling type dehumidifying method" and a "desiccant type dehumidifying method".
"Cooling-type dehumidification method" is a method of coagulating and removing water by cooling the air, and dehumidifying by decooling high-humidity air by supercooling it to below the dew point to remove low-humidity air. It is a method of reheating to a predetermined temperature and supplying.
The “desiccant dehumidification method” is a method of removing water by a desiccant (desiccant) element that adsorbs water.
However, the "cooling-type dehumidification method" has a problem that the energy loss for performing supercooling and reheating is large. That is, there is a problem that energy loss is large and cost is increased when used for equipment such as a plant factory.
In this respect, the technique of Patent Document 1 employs the “desiccant type dehumidifying method”, and is devised to reduce energy loss and improve energy efficiency.
However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, low humidity air in which moisture is adsorbed on a polymer adsorbent that is a desiccant element is humidified by a humidifier and air having a predetermined humidity is sent to a greenhouse (plant factory). Become.
Therefore, although the energy efficiency is certainly better than that in the case where the "cooling type dehumidifying method" is adopted, further improvement in energy efficiency has been desired.
Further, in the technique of Patent Document 1, since the air dehumidified by the polymer absorbent body which is the desiccant element is humidified by the humidifier, the humidity is adjusted to an appropriate level, so that the humidifier is operated. Energy is required, and there is a problem that the cost increases.
Further, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, a heat source such as a heater is required to regenerate the polymer adsorbent that is the desiccant element, which causes a problem of increased cost.
Further, from the viewpoint of ecology, it is required to effectively use the energy generated in the plant factory, and it is necessary to realize such a request.
From the above situation, there has been a demand for a plant cultivation facility that can improve the energy efficiency and reduce the operating cost, build an environment-friendly system, and provide an environment that leads to an improvement in the productivity of plants. ..

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation facility capable of providing an environment that leads to improved productivity of food materials such as vegetables in plant cultivation. ..
Another object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation facility capable of realizing particularly energy-efficient humidity control in order to optimize air conditioning in an internal environment of a predetermined space such as a plant factory. Especially.

According to the plant cultivation facility of the present invention, in the housing unit, a cultivation tray used for cultivating a plant, a cultivation shelf on which the cultivation tray can be placed, and the cultivation are provided. A plant cultivation facility comprising a lighting device for supplying light energy to plants in a tray and an air conditioner for adjusting temperature, wherein the building unit is provided with a ventilation device. The apparatus is provided with a plate made of a moisture adsorbent, and at least one of the lighting device and the outdoor unit of the air conditioner is provided with thermal energy from a light source arranged in the lighting device, There is provided heat conduction means for taking out and conducting at least one heat energy of the heat energy due to the waste heat of the air conditioner, and the heat conduction means is configured to be able to transfer the heat energy to the plate , The heat energy from the light source and the heat energy from the outdoor unit are transmitted to the plate via the heat storage tank, and the heat storage tank serves as a passage through which the heat storage medium passes, and from the heat storage tank. A cultivation tray temperature control line, which is a circulation line that is drawn out and returns to the heat storage tank, is formed, and the cultivation tray is disposed on the cultivation tray temperature control line, and heat energy is transferred from the heat storage medium. Will be solved.

Thus, according to the present invention, the plate formed of the moisture adsorbent (so-called desiccant element) is provided in the ventilation device of the building unit, and the plate can be heated.
The plate made of the moisture adsorbent releases the moisture (that is, regenerates) by raising the temperature when the humidity is low. On the contrary, since the moisture can be adsorbed at the time of high humidity, the inside of the building unit can be dehumidified.
Therefore, the humidity in the building unit can be controlled by adjusting the transfer and non-transfer of heat to the plate by the heat transfer means.
Further, in the present invention, the thermal energy for the regeneration of the plate is obtained from at least one of the thermal energy arranged in the lighting device and the thermal energy due to the waste heat of the air conditioner (more preferable to obtain from both). Is).
As a result, the energy generated in the plant factory can be effectively used, the operating cost can be reduced, and the environment-friendly specifications can be achieved.
As a result, in plant cultivation, it is possible to efficiently provide, at low cost, a humidity environment that improves the productivity of food materials such as vegetables.
Further, with this configuration, when the thermal energy is being released, the energy can be efficiently stored in the heat storage tank, and the thermal energy stored in the heat storage tank can be taken out when necessary. This is preferable because it can
Further, with this configuration, the heat storage medium can be efficiently guided from the heat storage tank to the plate and circulated.

Further, according to the plant cultivation facility of the present invention, in the housing unit, a cultivation tray used for cultivating a plant and a cultivation shelf on which the cultivation tray can be placed are provided. A lighting device for supplying light energy to plants in the cultivation tray, and an air conditioning device for adjusting temperature, which is a plant cultivation facility, wherein the building unit is provided with a ventilation device, A plate made of a moisture adsorbent is arranged in the ventilation device, and at least one of the lighting device and the outdoor unit of the air conditioner is provided with heat energy from a light source arranged in the lighting device. And at least one of the heat energy due to the waste heat of the air conditioner, and the heat conducting means is provided for conducting the heat energy, and the heat conducting means is configured to be able to transfer the heat energy to the plate. The heat energy from the light source and the heat energy from the outdoor unit are transmitted to the plate via a heat storage tank, and the lighting device and the heat storage tank are connected by a heat pipe, The evaporator of the heat pipe is arranged on the lighting device side, and the condenser of the heat pipe is inserted in the heat storage tank, and the heat storage medium stored in the heat storage tank is the condenser. It is solved by being configured to transfer heat from the.
With this configuration, the heat energy from the light source of the lighting device can be efficiently stored in the heat storage tank.
Further, according to the plant cultivation facility of the present invention, in the housing unit, a cultivation tray used for cultivating a plant and a cultivation shelf on which the cultivation tray can be placed are provided. A lighting device for supplying light energy to plants in the cultivation tray, and an air conditioning device for adjusting temperature, which is a plant cultivation facility, wherein the building unit is provided with a ventilation device, A plate made of a moisture adsorbent is arranged in the ventilation device, and heat conduction means for extracting and conducting heat energy from a light source arranged in the lighting device is provided. Is solved by being configured to be able to transfer the thermal energy to the plate.

Further, at this time, it is preferable that the heat energy from the light source and the heat energy from the outdoor unit be transmitted to the plate when the operation of the air conditioner is triggered.
That is, when the air conditioner is operating, the dehumidifying function works, so that the inside of the building unit is in a low humidity state. Therefore, in this environment of low humidity, the plate is regenerated by heat energy and moisture is discharged into the building unit to be humidified, and an appropriate humidity environment can be created.

Also, at this time, the heat storage tank, with the heat storage medium is a passage which passes internally withdrawn from the heat storage tank, cultivation tray temperature control line is a circulation line back to the heat storage tank is formed It is preferable that the cultivation tray is arranged on the cultivation tray temperature control line and heat energy is transferred from the heat storage medium.
With such a configuration, it is possible to heat the cultivation tray at a necessary time.
The term "warming the cultivation tray" may mean that the cultivation tray itself is heated, or that the plate for supporting a plant or the like that constitutes this cultivation tray is heated. In addition, the medium that serves as a nutrient source for growing the plant may be heated.
Furthermore, the plants may be placed in warm air by heating the air around the cultivation tray.
Further, in this way, it is preferable to appropriately intervene a valve (electromagnetic valve or the like) or a pump to circulate efficiently, and to circulate the signal efficiently by turning on/off the air conditioner or various sensors. Accordingly, it is more preferable that the control device is configured to drive and control.

Further, this time, the evaporating portion is curved in a substantially sinusoidal shape, it is preferable to be arranged in contact with or in proximity to the light source of the illumination device.
According to this structure, the absorption area for absorbing the heat energy from the light source of the lighting device increases, so that the heat energy can be recovered more efficiently.

The plate is preferably made of mesoporous silica.
Zeolite, diatomaceous earth, silica gel and the like are generally used as the water adsorbent.
Of course, in the present invention, these are not excluded, but mesoporous silica is most preferably used.
This is because, due to its peculiarity, mesoporous silica has a high dehumidifying ability (moisture adsorbing ability) even at low temperatures, and the temperature required for regeneration is low.
In other words, by using mesoporous silica, it is possible to secure a high dehumidifying power even in a facility where the temperature is not high such as a plant cultivation facility, and a large amount of heat energy is not required for regeneration (humidification). ..
Therefore, the heat energy from the light source of the lighting device and the heat energy from the waste heat of the air conditioner can be easily regenerated in the plant cultivation facility.
In addition, since the mesoporous silica can design the adsorption humidity range having specificity, it is easy to control the inside of the building unit to the relative humidity to be adjusted.
Thus, the present invention can be more effectively practiced by forming the plate with mesoporous silica.

According to the plant cultivation facility of the present invention, the plate formed of the moisture adsorbent is arranged in the ventilation device, and the plate can be heated.
This makes it possible to dehumidify the plate by adsorbing water in high humidity conditions, and when the air conditioner is operating and low humidity conditions, the plate is heated to regenerate and absorb it. It becomes possible to humidify by releasing the retained water.
Further, as the heat energy for heating the plate, the heat energy obtained from the waste light of the light source of the lighting device and the air conditioner is used.
Therefore, it is possible to improve the energy efficiency and reduce the operating cost, construct an environment-friendly system, and provide an environment that leads to an improvement in plant productivity.
As described above, according to the plant cultivation facility of the present invention, in plant cultivation, it is possible to provide an environment that leads to improved productivity of food materials such as vegetables.
Further, in order to optimize air conditioning in an internal environment of a predetermined space such as a plant factory, it is possible to realize humidity control with particularly high energy efficiency.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing explaining the plant cultivation facility which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows a desiccant element. It is explanatory drawing which shows the connection state of each apparatus which comprises a humidity adjustment system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the circulation path of a heat storage medium. It is a graph which shows the behavior of a desiccant element.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The present embodiment is a plant cultivation facility consisting of a closed space in which an air conditioner and a lighting device are installed, and contains a plate material for holding plants, a culture medium, and a lighting device for giving light energy to the plants. A plant cultivation facility having a plurality of cultivation trays provided in a box-shaped building unit will be described.
This plant cultivation facility is shielded from the outside by the building unit, and is configured so that the internal temperature environment is adjusted by an air conditioner.
Further, in the present embodiment, a humidity adjusting system is provided so that the humidity can be adjusted efficiently at low cost.
In the plant cultivation facility, the direction in which the user enters and exits through the door provided on the side wall of the facility is the front-back direction, and in the facility, the width direction orthogonal to the front-back direction is the left-right direction.
Further, the direction perpendicular to the ground surface is the vertical direction, and the upward and downward directions refer to the sides recognized in normal life.

As shown in FIG. 1, the plant cultivation facility S of the present embodiment is for producing plants in a closed space in which the internal environment is controlled, and is shielded from the outside by a housing-shaped building unit S1. ing.
Note that FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway view so that the inside can be illustrated.
The building unit S1 is a housing-shaped hollow box body including a rectangular floor S11, side walls S12 and S12, a front wall S13, a rear wall S14, and a ceiling S15. Briefly, the side walls S12 and S12 stand up from the left and right sides of the floor S11, the front wall S13 stands up from the front side, and the rear wall S14 stands up from the rear side, and the ceiling S15 closes the upper opening. It is a hollow box body arranged so as to do. The front wall S13 is provided with a door S13a for allowing workers to move between the inside and outside of the building unit S1.
A ventilation device S12a is arranged above the side wall S12. It should be noted that the detailed configuration of the building unit S1 itself, such as the material and the detailed configuration such as installation of windows, need only be publicly known ones, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Inside this building unit S1, an air conditioner 1 installed on the inner wall surface of the ceiling S15, a plurality of cultivation shelves 2 and a humidity adjustment system 3 for adjusting the humidity inside the building unit S1 are provided. It is equipped.
As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 is an air conditioner mainly for adjusting the temperature as an air conditioner in the plant cultivation facility S. In the present embodiment, the air conditioner controls the temperature in the facility by the cooling function. While being kept constant, it is also used as a trigger for switching the operation of the humidity adjustment system 3 described later.
The air conditioner 1 is configured to include an indoor unit 11 and an outdoor unit 12, and the outdoor unit 12 is installed outside the building unit S1.

The cultivation shelf 2 includes a support frame 21 assembled in a shelf shape, a lighting device 22 arranged on the top surface of the support frame 21, and a shelf part of the support frame 21 below the lighting device 22. The cultivation tray 23 that is supported is provided.
In addition, in the figure, the cultivation tray 23 is illustrated as one stage, but of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and the supporting frame 21 has a multi-stage structure, and a plurality of stages are formed in the vertical direction. The cultivation trays 23 may be respectively arranged. In this case, by arranging the lighting device 22 also on the lower surface of the immediately upper stage, it is possible to secure the amount of light with which the plant is irradiated also in the lower stage.

The support frame body 21 is a rectangular rack assembled in a shelf shape as described above.
In the figure, only one-stage configuration is shown in order to simplify the drawing, but it is also possible to adopt the above-described multi-stage configuration. Further, usually, a plurality of plants are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction, and many plants can be cultivated.

The illumination device 22 is a light source for irradiating the plants in the cultivation tray 23 described later with light, and is installed on the lower surface side of the top surface portion of the support frame 21 in the present embodiment.
In the present embodiment, the lighting device 22 is configured to include lighting supports 22A and 22A and a plurality of light sources 22B (not shown). In the present embodiment, a fluorescent lamp is used as the light source 22B.
The illumination support 22A is a prismatic rod-shaped member and has a plurality of light source holding holes H1 (not shown) formed therein.

The illumination supports 22A and 22A are arranged so that the light source holding holes H1 and H1 are opposed to both ends in the longitudinal direction (both ends in the front-rear direction in FIG. 1) of the top surface portion of the support frame 21 (illumination support). 22A is arranged so that the longitudinal direction thereof is along the left-right direction of FIG. 1, and the light source 22B is fixed by supporting both ends of the light source holding holes H1 and H1 facing each other in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, four light source holding holes H1 are formed, and therefore the light source 22B is four fluorescent lamps.
A part of the heat pipe 32 is supported between the illumination supports 22A and 22A.

In this heat pipe 32, the evaporation portion 32A is bent and formed in a substantially sinusoidal shape, and the portion is arranged between the illumination supports 22A and 22A. However, this configuration is one of the main configurations of this embodiment. Since it is a part, the configuration and the like will be described in detail later.
Note that, as the light source 22B, a publicly known lighting fixture may be used in addition to a fluorescent lamp, but in the present embodiment, a type that emits heat energy at the time of lighting, in relation to a humidity adjustment system 3 described later. Those of are preferably used.

The cultivating tray 23 is configured to have a rectangular bottomed housing-like medium case 23A that is open upward and a cultivating plate 23B configured as a rectangular plate body, and is provided directly below the lighting device 22. It is arranged.
The cultivation plate 23B is arranged so as to close the upper opening of the culture medium case 23A.
Although illustration is omitted, a plurality of plant holding holes H2 are formed in the cultivation plate 23B, and plants are held in the plant holding holes H2. That is, the plant grows toward the upper side of the plant holding hole H2, and the root portion of the plant projects downward so that the plant can come into contact with the medium filled in the medium case 23A.
Since it is configured in this manner, the plant held on the cultivation plate 23B absorbs nutrients and water from the culture medium from the root part, and receives light energy from the lighting device 22 from directly above to grow by performing photosynthesis. Becomes

<Humidity adjustment system>
Next, the humidity adjustment system 3 will be described.
The humidity adjustment system 3 is a system for adjusting the humidity in the building unit S1 by switching the operation when the air conditioner 1 is turned on and off.
The humidity adjustment system 3 according to the present embodiment includes a heat storage tank 31, a heat pipe 32, a desiccant plate 33, and a pipe 34. The pipe 34 is provided with a pump P, a valve 7 and the like as appropriate.

The heat storage tank 31 is a rectangular parallelepiped hollow container, and is configured to store a heat storage medium K (not shown) therein. As the heat storage medium K, any fluid can be suitably used as long as it has fluidity, but in the present embodiment, water that can be introduced simply and at low cost is used. ing.
The heat storage tank 31 has its longitudinal direction oriented along the front-rear direction and is placed on the floor below the support frame 21.

As described above, the heat pipe 32 is a thermal energy transport member including the evaporation portion 32A that is bent and formed in a substantially sinusoidal shape and the condenser portion 32B that is appropriately bent and formed.
The evaporation unit 32A is arranged so as to be passed between the illumination supports 22A and 22A.
That is, the evaporation unit 32A is arranged so as to be close to the light source 22B, and the working fluid (not shown) accumulated inside is evaporated by the heat absorbed from the light source 22B.
The end of the condensing part 32B (the end opposite to the continuous part with the evaporating part 32A) is inserted into the heat storage tank 31.
That is, the working liquid vapor evaporated in the evaporation unit 32A moves to the condensation unit 32B, aggregates, and returns to the liquid. At this time, by transferring latent heat to the heat storage medium K filled in the heat storage tank 31, the heat storage medium K can be heated and accumulate heat (hereinafter, this line will be referred to as “heat storage line L1”). )).
As described above, in the present embodiment, the heat energy released when the light source 22B is turned on can be absorbed and stored in the heat storage tank 31.

The desiccant plate 33 is a plate configured of desiccant elements (desiccant, adsorbent) capable of trapping water, is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and is arranged on the indoor side of the ventilation device S12a.
Known materials such as zeolite, diatomaceous earth, and silica gel may be used as the desiccant element forming the desiccant plate 33, but mesoporous silica is more preferably used.

As shown in FIG. 2, mesoporous silica is a substance made of silicon dioxide (silica) and having uniform and regular pores (mesopores). Like mesoporous silica, zeolite having a main skeleton of silicon dioxide has a pore diameter of 0.5 to 2 nm, whereas mesoporous silica has a larger pore diameter of 2 to 10 nm.
The microstructure has a honeycomb shape in which pores having a hexagonal cross section are gathered as shown in FIG. 2, and therefore a large pore volume can be secured. Also, the desorption temperature of water can be adjusted by adjusting the pore size of the hexagonal cross section.

The heat storage tank 31 configured as described above and the desiccant plate 33 are connected by a pipe 34 to form a humidity adjustment line L2.
An example of these connections is shown in FIG.
In the present embodiment, the pipe 34 is a loop pipe that is withdrawn from the heat storage tank 31 and returns to the heat storage tank 31, and constitutes a two-system loop including a humidity adjustment pipe 34a and a cultivation tray pipe 34b. ing.
The humidity adjusting pipe 34a is arranged so as to be in contact with or close to the desiccant plate 33, and heat exchange is performed between the heat storage medium K passing through the humidity adjusting pipe 34a and the desiccant plate 33. It is configured to be able to.
A valve 7 and a pump P are appropriately arranged in the humidity adjusting pipe 34a to control the circulation of the heat storage medium K.
In the present embodiment, as an example, a first electromagnetic valve 71 is arranged between the drawer side of the heat storage tank 31 and the primary side of the desiccant plate 33. The heat storage medium K is allowed or prohibited to pass through the pipe 34a.
Further, the first pump P1 is arranged between the secondary side of the desiccant plate 33 and the return side of the heat storage tank 31.

Further, the humidity adjustment system 3 is configured to be automatically controlled by the control device 4, and switching of the first electromagnetic valve 71 and operation of the first pump P1 are automatically performed by a command from the control device 4. Is configured.
Specifically, the control device 4 receives the operation signal and the stop signal of the air conditioner 1 and controls the first electromagnetic valve 71 and the first pump P1 according to the signals.

Further, in the present embodiment, the heat storage medium K can be supplied from the heat storage tank 31 toward the cultivation tray 23 (this line is referred to as "cultivation tray temperature adjusting line L3").
That is, the cultivation tray pipe 34b that is drawn out from the heat storage tank 31 and finally returns to the heat storage tank 31 is provided, and the cultivation tray 23 is arranged in the middle of the cultivation tray pipe 34b.
Specifically, the cultivation tray pipe 34b is arranged so as to be in contact with or close to the cultivation plate 23B or the culture medium case 23A, and heat exchange is performed between the heat storage medium K and the cultivation tray 23. Alternatively, the temperature may be adjusted by warming the air around the cultivation tray 23 by radiating heat from the cultivation tray pipe 34b.
The culture tray pipe 34b may be arranged inside the culture medium case 23A so as to exchange heat between the culture medium and the heat storage medium K.

Further, in the cultivation tray pipe 34b, a second electromagnetic valve 72 is provided on the outlet side from the heat storage tank 31, and a second pump P2 is arranged on the return inlet side to the heat storage tank 31. ..
The second electromagnetic valve 72 and the second pump P2 are also controlled by the control device 4.
These controls may be configured to be performed by a signal from the sensor group 5, for example. The sensor group 5 may include, for example, a culture medium, a thermocouple installed in the cultivation tray 23 (or arranged in a position close to these), or the like.
The sensor group 5 also includes an illuminance sensor installed in the vicinity of the lighting device 22, and the illuminance sensor can detect ON/OFF of the illumination.

Although not shown, a line may be formed from the outdoor unit 12 of the air conditioner 1 to the heat storage tank 31, and the waste heat of the outdoor unit 12 may also contribute to the heat storage.
With this configuration, waste heat from the outdoor unit 12 that is dissipated to the outside can also be effectively used, which contributes to energy saving and is environmentally friendly.

<Example of use of humidity control system>
Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a usage example of the humidity adjustment system 3 according to the present embodiment will be described.
As described above, the humidity adjusting system 3 has the heat storage line L1 and the humidity adjusting line L2, and these lines will be described with reference to FIG.
The thick line shown in FIG. 4A is the heat storage line L1.
The heat storage line L1 is a line that connects the lighting device 22 and the heat storage tank 31.
The evaporator 32A is configured to absorb the heat of the light source 22B and evaporate the working fluid (not shown), and the working fluid vapor is transported to the condenser 32B in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4(a).
The working liquid vapor is configured to move to the condensing unit 32B, aggregate and return to the liquid, and transfer latent heat to the heat storage medium K filled in the heat storage tank 31.
The condensed hydraulic fluid is, for example, absorbed and transmitted to the wick arranged on the inner wall and returned to the evaporator 32A.

As described above, in the heat storage line L1, the heat energy released when the light source 22B is turned on is absorbed to warm the heat storage medium K filled in the heat storage tank 31, and the heat storage medium K having a high temperature is stored.
The heat storage line L1 is operated when the light source 22B of the lighting device 22 is turned on. For example, the temperature of a temperature sensor or the like (which constitutes the sensor group 5) arranged in the heat storage line L1 The temperature may be monitored, and when the temperature drops to a certain temperature or higher, the temperature may be heated by another heating mechanism.
For example, exhaust heat from the outdoor unit 12 of the air conditioner 1 may be used as the other heating mechanism.

The thick line in FIG. 4B is the humidity adjustment line L2.
The humidity adjustment line L2 is a line formed by opening the first solenoid valve 71 (the black-painted portion is in the conduction direction) and operating the first pump P1. The heat storage tank 31→first solenoid This is a line that circulates in the order of valve 71→desiccant plate 33→first pump P1→heat storage tank 31.
In this state, the heat storage line L1 is operated to store the heat storage medium K having a high temperature in the heat storage tank 31, so that the heat storage medium K is operated by operating the humidity adjustment line L2. The heat energy from the heat storage medium K can be transferred to.

The humidity adjustment line L2 is driven when the air conditioner 1 is operating.
That is, the humidity adjustment line L2 is operated under the condition that the operation signal of the air conditioner 1 is received.
Specifically, when the control device 4 receives the operation signal of the air conditioner 1, the control device 4 opens the first electromagnetic valve 71 and opens the first electromagnetic valve 71. If it receives (configuring), the first pump P1 is driven.
In this way, when the air conditioner 1 operates, the desiccant plate 33 is heated.

The usage state of the humidity control system 3 thus configured is summarized as follows.
When the air conditioner 1 is operating, the dehumidifying function of the air conditioner 1 causes the humidity in the plant cultivation facility S to decrease, resulting in a low humidity state.
Therefore, when the operation signal of the air conditioner 1 is received, the control device 4 operates the humidity adjustment line L2.
Specifically, when the control device 4 opens the first electromagnetic valve 71 and receives the opening signal of the first electromagnetic valve 71, the control device 4 drives the first pump P1 to transfer the heat storage medium K having a high temperature to the desiccant plate 33. Deliver to.
Then, the heated desiccant plate 33 efficiently releases water, and thus the humidity in the plant cultivation facility S can be raised to an appropriate value.

On the contrary, when the operation of the air conditioner 1 is stopped, the control device 4 receives the stop signal, stops the first pump P1, and closes the first electromagnetic valve 71 when receiving the stop signal of the first pump P1. To do. As a result, the heat storage medium K having a high temperature is stopped from being supplied to the desiccant plate 33 side.
Further, when the air conditioner 1 is not in operation, the humidity in the plant cultivation facility S rises due to water evaporation from the plants and the dehumidification function of the air conditioner 1 is stopped, resulting in a high humidity state.
In such a high humidity state, the desiccant plate 33, which is a hygroscopic material, adsorbs moisture, so that the humidity in the plant cultivation facility can be reduced to an appropriate value.

Moreover, the example which operated the cultivation tray temperature control line L3 was shown in FIG.4(c).
For operation, for example, by receiving a signal from a thermocouple or the like forming the sensor group 5 and opening the second solenoid valve 72 and driving the second pump P2 according to a command from the control device 4. Good.
Thereby, the temperature around the cultivation tray 23 can be raised.

<Physical properties of desiccant plate>
Here, the physical properties of the mesoporous silica used as the desiccant plate 33 will be described, and the reason why mesoporous silica is preferably used as the desiccant plate 33 in the present embodiment will be described.
First, as an advantage of mesoporous silica, it has a high dehumidifying ability (moisture adsorbing ability) even at a low temperature.
In addition, the temperature required for regeneration is low. That is, even the heat absorbed from the lighting device 22 or the thermal energy stored by the waste heat of the air conditioner 1 can be easily regenerated.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a graph showing the moisture adsorption amount (vertical axis) with respect to the relative humidity (horizontal axis) at a predetermined temperature. As a control, zeolite and silica gel are also shown together.
As shown in FIG. 6, compared with zeolite and silica gel, mesoporous silica has a specific adsorption humidity range (shown as a shaded portion).
Mesoporous silica has a specific adsorption humidity range in this way, and when the relative humidity is lower than this adsorption humidity range, it releases the adsorbed water until it reaches the adsorption humidity range, and When the relative humidity is high, the moisture in the air is adsorbed until it reaches the adsorption humidity range.
Since this adsorption humidity range can be designed by adjusting the pore diameter of mesoporous silica, by designing the target relative humidity of the plant cultivation facility S to match this adsorption humidity range, The efficiency can be increased.

Further, since the mesoporous silica can be regenerated at a relatively low temperature, it releases the adsorbed water with the thermal energy accumulated by the waste heat of the lighting device 22 and the air conditioner 1.
Therefore, in a low humidity state, it is possible to release the water with high efficiency and humidify the humidity in the plant cultivation facility S to the optimum humidity by the action toward the adsorption humidity range and the regeneration effect by heating. In addition, in the high humidity state, by the action toward the adsorption humidity range, it is possible to efficiently adsorb water and dehumidify the plant cultivation facility S.

<About desiccant plate design>
Next, the capacity design of the desiccant plate 33 will be briefly described.
First, dehumidification will be described.
For example, a light-dark period (semi-period 12 hours) is set in one day, and it is calculated that dehumidification occurs during the dark period when the air conditioner 1 or the like stops.
For example, the target environment in the plant cultivation facility S is set to a temperature of 23° C. and a relative humidity of 75%.
Further, the volume in the plant cultivation facility S is x (m3), and the assumed water adsorption amount of the desiccant plate 33 at the same temperature is y (g/m3).
Further, the amount of water vapor at a temperature of 23 degrees and a relative humidity of 100% is v1 (g/m3), and the amount of water vapor at a relative humidity of 75% is v2 (g/m3).
Then, the amount of removed water (α1) required to dehumidify the state of 100% relative humidity to 75% relative humidity is as follows.
α1=x·v1−x·v2 (g)

In addition, for example, when the light/dark period is set in one day and the amount of water emitted from the plant cultivated in the plant cultivation facility S in the dark period (12 hours) is α2 (g), adsorption required for dehumidification The capacity (α) is as follows.
α=α1+α2 (g)
Therefore, the moisture adsorption required capacity V1 of the desiccant plate 33 during dehumidification is represented by the following equation.
V1(m3)=α/y
As described above, for dehumidification, the size of the desiccant plate 33 and the like may be designed so as to have a moisture adsorption amount V1 (m3) which is the moisture adsorption required capacity during dehumidification.

On the contrary, the humidification is as follows.
Humidification is calculated assuming that it will occur in the light period when the air conditioner 1 and the like operate.
In the light period, it is assumed that the relative humidity is changed from 60% to 75%, the outlet air volume (m3/h) of the air conditioner 1 is assumed, and the outlet temperature is assumed.
This outlet temperature is assumed to be a temperature at which the amount of water vapor (g/m3) generated from plants in the light period can be treated in the assumed outlet air volume (m3/h).
Then, the outlet air volume at the assumed outlet temperature is converted into the outlet air volume β1 (m3/h) at 23° C., and the capacity of the desiccant plate 33 is trial calculated.
If the amount of water vapor at a relative humidity of 60% at a temperature of 23 degrees is v3 (g/m3) and the amount of water vapor at a relative humidity of 75% is v2 (g/m3), the amount of water required for 12 hours is The adsorption capacity (β) is as follows.
β=(v2-v1)·β1·12(h)
Therefore, the required moisture adsorption capacity V2 of the desiccant plate 33 during humidification is expressed by the following equation.
V2(m3)=β/y
As described above, regarding the humidification, the size and the like of the desiccant plate 33 may be designed so as to have the moisture adsorption amount V2 (m3) which is the required moisture adsorption capacity during humidification.

Although calculated in this way, in order to secure a sufficient moisture adsorption capacity in both dehumidification and humidification, the moisture adsorption required capacity V1 during dehumidification and the moisture adsorption required capacity V2 during humidification are compared. The desiccant plate 33 may be set with the larger capacity as the adsorption capacity.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by introducing the humidity adjustment system 3, the humidity in the plant cultivation facility S can be maintained at the optimum humidity easily and with energy saving.
That is, by installing the desiccant plate 33 capable of adsorbing moisture in the plant cultivation facility S, when the air conditioner 1 is operating in low humidity, moisture is released from the desiccant plate 33 to humidify it. When the air conditioner 1 is stopped and the humidity is high, the desiccant plate 33 adsorbs moisture to dehumidify.
Further, at the time of humidification, since the mechanism for heating the desiccant plate 33 is provided, the moisture is efficiently released from the desiccant plate 33.
Therefore, the inside of the plant cultivation facility S can be maintained at the optimum humidity without the humidity being lowered by the air conditioner 1.
Further, since the heat source for heating the desiccant plate 33 is waste heat from the lighting device 2 and the outdoor unit 12 of the air conditioner 1, it is not necessary to newly prepare a dedicated heat source for heating the desiccant plate 33. It is also energy-friendly and environmentally friendly.
Further, by using mesoporous silica as the desiccant plate 33, it becomes possible to realize the above function more efficiently.

S Plant cultivation facility S1 Building unit S11 Floor S12 Side wall S12a Ventilator S13 Front wall
S13a door S14 rear wall S15 ceiling 1 air conditioner 11 indoor unit 12 outdoor unit 2 cultivation shelf 21 support frame 22 lighting device 22A lighting support H1 light source holding hole 22B light source 23 cultivation tray 23A medium case 23B cultivation plate H2 plant holding hole 3 Humidity adjustment system 31 Heat storage tank 32 Heat pipe (heat transfer means)
32A Evaporator 32B Condenser 33 Desiccant plate (plate)
34 Piping (heat transfer means)
34a Humidity adjustment pipe 34b Cultivation tray pipe 7 Valve 71 First solenoid valve 72 Second solenoid valve P Pump P1 First pump P2 Second pump 4 Control device 5 Sensor group L1 Heat storage line L2 Humidity adjustment line L3 Cultivation tray temperature control Line K heat storage medium

Claims (7)

Inside the housing-shaped building unit, a cultivation tray used for cultivating plants, a cultivation shelf on which the cultivation tray can be placed, and a lighting device that supplies light energy to the plants in the cultivation tray, A plant cultivation facility comprising an air conditioner for adjusting temperature,
The building unit is equipped with a ventilation device,
A plate made of a moisture adsorbent is arranged in the ventilation device,
From at least one of the lighting device and the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, at least one heat energy of heat energy from a light source arranged in the lighting device and heat energy from waste heat of the air conditioner is taken out. A heat conducting means for conducting is provided, the heat conducting means being configured to be able to transfer the thermal energy to the plate ;
Thermal energy from the light source and thermal energy from the outdoor unit are transferred to the plate via a heat storage tank,
The heat storage tank is a passage through which a heat storage medium passes inside, and a cultivation tray temperature control line that is a circulation line that is drawn from the heat storage tank and returns to the heat storage tank is formed,
The plant cultivation facility , wherein the cultivation tray is arranged on the cultivation tray temperature control line, and heat energy is transferred from the heat storage medium . Inside the housing-shaped building unit, a cultivation tray used for cultivating plants, a cultivation shelf on which the cultivation tray can be placed, and a lighting device that supplies light energy to the plants in the cultivation tray, A plant cultivation facility comprising an air conditioner for adjusting temperature,
The building unit is equipped with a ventilation device,
A plate made of a moisture adsorbent is arranged in the ventilation device,
From at least one of the lighting device and the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, at least one heat energy of heat energy from a light source arranged in the lighting device and heat energy from waste heat of the air conditioner is taken out. A heat conducting means for conducting is provided, the heat conducting means being configured to be able to transfer the thermal energy to the plate;
Thermal energy from the light source and thermal energy from the outdoor unit are transferred to the plate via a heat storage tank,
The lighting device and the heat storage tank are connected by a heat pipe,
On the lighting device side, the evaporation part of the heat pipe is arranged, and in the heat storage tank, the condensing part of the heat pipe is inserted.
The plant cultivation facility, wherein the heat storage medium stored in the heat storage tank is configured to transfer heat from the condensing unit. Inside the housing-shaped building unit, a cultivation tray used for cultivating plants, a cultivation shelf on which the cultivation tray can be placed, and a lighting device that supplies light energy to the plants in the cultivation tray, A plant cultivation facility comprising an air conditioner for adjusting temperature,
The building unit is equipped with a ventilation device,
A plate made of a moisture adsorbent is arranged in the ventilation device,
A heat conducting means for extracting and conducting heat energy from a light source arranged in the lighting device is provided, and the heat conducting means is configured to be capable of transmitting the heat energy to the plate. A plant cultivation facility. The plant according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heat energy from the light source and the heat energy from the outdoor unit are transferred to the plate when the operation of the air conditioner is triggered. Cultivation facility. The heat storage tank is a passage through which a heat storage medium passes, and a humidity adjustment line that is a circulation line that is drawn from the heat storage tank and returns to the heat storage tank is formed,
The plant cultivation facility according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the plate is arranged on the humidity adjustment line and heat energy is transferred from the heat storage medium. The plant cultivation facility according to claim 2 , wherein the evaporation portion is formed to be curved in a substantially sinusoidal shape, and is arranged in contact with or close to the light source of the lighting device. The plant cultivation facility according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the plate is made of mesoporous silica.

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