JP7224996B2 - clean room air conditioning system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a clean room air conditioning system.

In recent industrial clean rooms, local cleaning of areas where products are exposed in production equipment and local cleaning of areas where products are exposed during transportation between processes is progressing. The ballroom method, in which the production equipment is placed in a positional relationship with the ceiling conveyor, is becoming popular as a large space without space.

FIG. 12 shows an example of an air conditioning system in a clean room. The target space S is configured as a ballroom type industrial clean room, and a plurality of blower units 2 are installed on the ceiling 1 at predetermined intervals. The blower unit 2 is a device called a fan filter unit (FFU) or the like having a fan on the upper side of the housing and a HEPA filter on the lower side. The air is sucked into the body and blown against the filter, and the air purified through the filter is sent downward to the target space S below as clean room air A1.

The floor 3 of the target space S is constructed as a raised floor which is lifted from the building frame floor and has floor materials such as punching panels and gratings. The air sent as clean indoor air A1 from the blower unit 2 into the target space S contains the heat load of the equipment 5 in the room and the generated dust, and passes through the openings in the floor 3 to return air A2 to the space under the floor. Then, the air is sent to the space above the ceiling through the return shaft 4 that communicates the underfloor and the ceiling space, and is again supplied to the target space S as the clean indoor air A1 from the blower unit 2. - 特許庁

In the target space S, which is an industrial clean room, equipment 5 such as production equipment is in operation, and the clean room air A1 receives exhaust heat from the equipment 5 and is heated, and escapes under the floor as return air A2. The return air A2 whose temperature has risen returns from under the floor to the space above the ceiling and is sent out from the blower unit 2 again. It is necessary to cool the air to an indoor blowout temperature that can cover the indoor load so that the dust is removed by the blower unit 2 and the air is blown out as clean indoor air A1. In the example shown here, a cooling unit 6 is provided near the inlet of the let shaft 4 to cool the return air A2 after passing through the floor 3 of the target space S. The cooling unit 6 is, for example, a dry coil through which a refrigerant flows.

Also, in the case of an industrial clean room, it is necessary to maintain a positive pressure inside to prevent dust from entering. Moreover, the exhaust amount of each device 5 that requires various exhausts in the production process must also be supplied from the outside. In the case of the example shown here, outside air A3 is taken in from the outdoor air conditioner 7, adjusted to an appropriate temperature and humidity, and then supplied to the space under the floor. The outdoor air conditioner 7 includes a prefilter 8 for purifying the outside air A3, an outside air final filter 9, a preheating coil 10 for preheating the taken outside air A3, and a cooling coil 11 downstream of the preheating coil 10 for cooling the outside air A3. , a heating coil 12 for heating the outside air A3 downstream of the cooling coil 11, and an air supply fan 13 for creating an air flow. A humidifier 14 is provided downstream of the heating coil 12 and upstream of the air supply fan 13 .

When the air supply fan 13 is operated, the outside air A3 passes through the pre-filter 8 to remove dust, and then passes through the outdoor air conditioner 7 in order of the preheating coil 10, the cooling coil 11, the heating coil 12, and the humidifier 14. Then, it is supplied to the underfloor of the target space S after being purified again by the external air final filter 9 .

Under conditions such as summer when the outside air temperature and absolute humidity are high, if a large amount of cooling medium is supplied to the cooling coil 11 and the heating coil 12 is operated by supplying a heating medium, the outside air A3 reaches the dew point when passing through the cooling coil 11. As it cools below, the moisture condenses, lowering the absolute humidity. Furthermore, when supplied at the dry-bulb temperature of the saturation point, if there is a temperature difference with the circulating air under the floor and it is difficult to mix, the outside air A3 is heated again to an appropriate temperature when passing through the heating coil 12 on the downstream side. On the other hand, under conditions where the outside air temperature is low, such as in winter, the heating coil 12 and the preheating coil 10 are operated by flowing a heat medium. Operation of the cooling coil 11 is not necessary if the absolute humidity of the outside air is sufficiently low. The outside air A3 that has passed through the pre-filter 8 is preheated by the preheating coil 10 and further heated to a sufficient temperature by the heating coil 12 on the downstream side. When the absolute humidity of the outside air A3 is insufficient for the required humidity, the humidifier 14 is operated to increase the humidity of the outside air A3. When the form of the humidifier 14 is steam humidification, the heating coil 12 may heat up to the saturation point of the absolute humidity in the room. Heating should be made higher by the humidification saturation efficiency than the intersection of the isenthalpy line of the saturation point of the absolute humidity of the outside air and the absolute humidity of the outside air. In this way, the outdoor air conditioner 7 can supply the outside air A3 to the underfloor of the target space S in harmony with the appropriate temperature and humidity regardless of the season.

In addition, in the space under the floor, an exhaust duct 15 is installed that is connected to each device 5 and guides various exhaust gases from each device. A part of the clean indoor air A1 is appropriately discharged to the outside.

It should be noted that the outdoor air conditioning unit 7 normally supplies the harmonized outside air A3 to other clean rooms and incidental rooms other than the clean room, but illustration is omitted here. are doing.

A humidifier 17 is further provided in the middle of the path of the return air A2 from the underfloor of the target space S to the ceiling space (here, near the entrance of the letan shaft 4). The outside air A3 sent after the temperature and humidity are adjusted by the outdoor air conditioner 7 is mixed with the return air A2. is purified by the HEPA filter, and supplied to the target space S as clean indoor air A1.

Prior art documents relating to this type of air conditioning system for clean rooms include, for example, Patent Document 1 below.

JP 2007-178116 A

In the air-conditioning system for the clean room as described above, the humidifier 17 has a temperature of 30°C or higher, such as the heat generated by the equipment or the heat medium of the heater, rather than a steam humidification type humidifier that requires a heating source of 100-odd degrees. From the viewpoint of energy saving, a water humidification type humidifier that requires only a moderate heating source is preferable. In the case of a water humidifier, humid air is humidified by moving along the isenthalpy line as a humid air state, so in a clean room with a large heat load, air conditioning is required throughout the year. This is because the heat of vaporization can be removed at the same time for cooling.

Water humidification humidifiers include a spray method (here, including an air washer method and a humidification amount spray method using high-pressure water spray) and a vaporization method. In the spray method, fine droplets of water are sprayed onto the air. In the vaporization method, air is passed through an element that has a water retention function.

In industrial clean rooms where precise humidity control is required, air washer type water humidifiers have long been used due to their high humidification saturation efficiency, regardless of the high power consumption of the circulating water pump. After that, in similar industrial clean rooms, a spray type humidifier with an amount of water approximately corresponding to the amount of humidification by high-pressure water spray has been used in many cases. The applicant previously obtained knowledge that, in spray-type humidifiers, the amount of humidification can be controlled with high accuracy by methods such as time-proportional control and air-quantity proportional control, and has put it into practical use. However, it is difficult to control the amount of water retained in the element in the vaporization type humidifier immediately, and the humidification amount cannot be strictly controlled according to the amount of water required at that time, which makes it difficult to adopt.

However, when a spray-type humidifier that sprays water as water droplets is employed as the clean room humidifier 17 as described above, it is necessary to prevent water droplets from adhering to the equipment 5 and other equipment in the target space S. should not. For this reason, first, the spray pressure of about 0.3 MPa, which is difficult to evaporate with an average spray particle size of 100 μm to 300 μm, as in a spray humidifier installed in an air conditioner, is increased to 6 MPa, and the nozzle hole diameter is decreased to reduce the diameter of the nozzle to 10 to 30 μm. Spray as a mist of particle size to facilitate evaporation. Even so, the humidifier 17 has to be installed in a large space such as, for example, the inside of the letan shaft 4 or under the floor, resulting in layout restrictions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an air-conditioning system for a clean room that can minimize restrictions on installation of a humidifier.

The present invention sets an area of a target space that requires a higher degree of cleanliness than other areas as a highly clean area, and sets areas other than the highly clean area as a non-highly clean area,
On the floor of the target space, a plurality of devices with exhaust heat are placed sideways so that the front part slightly protrudes into the high-level clean area, and the front part is located in the non-high-level clean area. are arranged side by side at intervals that can be moved,
A predetermined number of air blowing units that supply purified air downward above the high-level clean area;
A ceiling installed with a closing panel placed where there is no blower unit, and a straight ceiling above the non-highly clean area where the lower surface of the floor slab on the upper floor is exposed.
with
The space above the ceiling is defined as a space in the ceiling by ceiling sidewalls,
The blower unit is installed on the ceiling so as to supply the air in the ceiling space to the high-level clean area,
The air supplied to the high-level clean area passes between the plurality of devices on the floor, reaches the non-high-level clean region, rises in the non-high-level clean region with exhaust heat from the plurality of devices , and blows the air. configured to be supplied from the unit to the high-level clean area again,
a cooling unit that cools the air that ascends the non-high-level clean area and reaches the blower unit;
A humidification unit having a water holding body that holds water, a humidification fan that blows air against the water holding body, and a rotation speed control device that can control the rotation speed of the humidification fan so as to humidify the air in the preceding stage of the cooling unit. with
The cooling unit and the humidifying unit are installed above the ceiling near an opening in a ceiling side wall that is not directly above the plurality of devices arranged side by side.
This relates to a clean room air conditioning system characterized by:

The clean room air-conditioning system of the present invention can comprise a vertical wall extending vertically above the floor between the highly clean area and the non-highly clean area.

In the clean room air conditioning system of the present invention, a second ceiling is positioned partially above the room wall side of the non-highly clean area, and the space above the second ceiling is sucked by the second ceiling side wall. defined as a chamber, wherein the cooling unit is installed in a path from the suction chamber to the ceiling space, and the humidification unit is installed in the suction chamber and extends from the non-highly clean area to the ceiling space. Moving air can be configured to pass through the suction chamber from an opening in the second ceiling side wall and be supplied to the high-cleanliness area by the blower unit.

In the clean room air conditioning system of the present invention, the second ceiling may be continuous with the ceiling at the same height, and the suction chamber may be adjacent to the space in the ceiling.

The air-conditioning system for a clean room of the present invention includes an air inlet in the ceiling side wall for guiding the air in the non-highly clean area to the ceiling space, the cooling unit in the air inlet, and the air in the non-highly clean area. The humidification unit can be provided in the preceding stage of the cooling unit.

In the clean room air-conditioning system of the present invention, the target space is provided with a transport rail that constitutes a ceiling transport device for transporting the workpiece, and the highly clean area is the area around the transport rail. can be set.

According to the clean room air-conditioning system of the present invention, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect of eliminating restrictions on installation of a humidifier as much as possible.

FIG. 12 is a schematic elevational view of an exemplary clean room air conditioning system in accordance with the practice of the present invention and a diagram illustrating the air condition points of FIG. 11; 1 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a clean room air-conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an air-conditioning system for a clean room according to an embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to the view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1; 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a clean room air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the air-conditioning system for the clean room according to the embodiment of the present invention, viewed from a direction different from that of FIG. 4; It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of a structure of the humidification unit used for implementation of this invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing another example of a clean room air-conditioning system according to the implementation of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing still another example of a clean room air-conditioning system according to the implementation of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a schematic elevational view showing the configuration of an air-conditioning system for a clean room according to a reference example of the present invention, and a diagram showing air condition points in FIG. 10; FIG. 3 is a TX psychrometric diagram schematically showing variations in air temperature and humidity in a reference example of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a TX psychrogram schematically showing variations in temperature and humidity of air in an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional air-conditioning system for a clean room; FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 5 show an example of the form of a clean room air-conditioning system according to the implementation of the present invention, and in the figures, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 12 represent the same parts. 1 to 5 is, for example, a part of the target space S equipped with an air conditioning system. 7) may be developed symmetrically with the central passage parallel to the ceiling side wall facing to the symmetrical axis.

The clean room air conditioning system of this embodiment has a plurality of air blowing units 2 installed on the ceiling 1 of the target space S, and the configuration for sending the purified clean indoor air A1 downward to the target space S below is shown in FIG. This is in common with the above-described conventional example. The outdoor air conditioner 7, which takes in the outside air A3, supplies the outside air A3 to the upper ceiling inner space C. 9, a preheating coil 10, a cooling coil 11, a heating coil 12, an air supply fan 13 and a humidifier 14, the external air A3 is supplied at a suitable temperature and humidity.

In the case of the present embodiment, the configuration within the target space S is characteristic. Clean room air A1 is supplied to the clean area S1 by downflow from the blower unit 2. The return air A2 containing heat generated by the equipment and generated dust is caused to rise in the air A1. That is, the air circulates without passing through the underfloor space. Accordingly, outside air A3 whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted by the outdoor air conditioner 7 is supplied to the upper ceiling space C of the non-highly clean area S2 rather than to the underfloor. Further, the structure corresponding to the let shaft 4 in the conventional example is omitted, and the arrangement of the cooling unit 6 is also changed. Further, in this embodiment, instead of the humidifier 17 in the conventional example, a humidifying unit 29, which will be described later, is provided, and the configuration and arrangement of the humidifying unit 29 are also characteristic.

In addition, the highly clean area S1 refers to "an area of the target space S that requires a higher degree of cleanliness than other areas", and the non-highly clean area S2 refers to "of the target space S, area other than the highly clean area S1". The set cleanliness level of the high-level clean area S1 is, for example, classes 5 to 6, and the set cleanliness level of the non-high-level clean area S2 is, for example, about class 6 (this is an example, and the cleanliness level of each area is can be appropriately set in carrying out the present invention).

A device 5 is in operation on the floor 3 in the target space S, which is an industrial clean room. The equipment 5 is a production apparatus for processing an object (workpiece 18) such as a wafer as a base material for forming a semiconductor integrated circuit, a substrate for a flat panel display, or a container capable of accommodating a plurality of these items. Near the ceiling 1 in the target space S, a ceiling conveying device 19 for conveying a workpiece 18 is provided. The ceiling conveying device 19 includes a conveying rail 20 attached along the lower surface of the ceiling 1 and a conveying vehicle 21 movable along the conveying rail 20 . The conveying rail 20 is attached along the ceiling 1 so as to be suspended from the components of the ceiling 1 or from the floor slab of the upper floor. The conveying vehicle 21 puts the workpieces 18 into containers such as pods and FOUPs, isolates them from the outside world, loads them while maintaining local cleanness, moves them along the conveying rails 20 , lowers the pods, etc., and connects them with the equipment 5 . The workpiece 18 in the pod is transferred to the equipment 5 between them.

In the target space S, which is such a clean room, the area where cleanliness should be ensured most is the area where the workpiece 18 may be exposed. More specifically, the workpiece 18 is transported by the transport vehicle 21 , the workpiece 18 in the pod is lowered from the transport vehicle 21 , and the workpiece 18 is transported between the load/unload section of the device 5 and the workpiece 18 . This is a place where the transfer of is performed, that is, the area around the transport rail 20 in a plan view. Therefore, in this embodiment, the area around the transport rail 20 in plan view is set as the highly clean area S1, and the other area is set as the non-highly clean area S2.

The configuration of each of the highly clean area S1 and the non-highly clean area S2 will be described. Above the highly clean area S1, as shown in FIG. 3, a ceiling 1 is suspended from the floor slab of the upper floor, and a space above the ceiling 1 is formed. On the other hand, the upper part of the non-highly clean area S2 is a straight ceiling without the ceiling 1, and the lower surface of the floor slab (slab surface 22) on the upper floor is exposed. A ceiling side wall 23 is provided above the edge of the ceiling 1, that is, above the boundary between the highly clean area S1 and the non-highly clean area S2, and the area above the highly clean area S1 where the ceiling 1 is installed is The area above the non-highly clean area S2 is defined by the ceiling side wall 23 (hereinafter, the area sandwiched between the ceiling 1 and the slab surface 22 and defined by the ceiling side wall 23 is referred to as the upper ceiling inner space C. ).

The planar area of the non-highly clean area S2 is preferably equal to or greater than the planar area of the highly clean area S1. This is for air circulation, which will be described later.

A blower unit 2 is installed on the ceiling 1 above the highly clean zone S1. The ceiling 1 is formed of ceiling cells in which structural members made of aluminum or the like are assembled in a grid pattern in a plan view, and is suspended from the lower surface of the slab surface 22 . Then, the blower unit 2 is installed in an appropriate arrangement on the grid, which is the opening of the lattice formed by the constituent materials. The rest of the grid on which the blower unit 2 is not installed is closed by installing the closing panel 2a. In this way, the blower unit 2 is concentrated at a position above the highly clean area S1 (that is, above the conveying rail 20), and the clean indoor air A1 sent out from the blower unit 2 is directed to the highly clean area S1. We are trying to concentrate on the supply.

Furthermore, a hanging wall 24 is installed between the highly clean area S1 and the non-highly clean area S2. The vertical wall 24 is a vertical wall member that extends downward along the vertical direction from a portion corresponding to the edge of the ceiling 1, and communicates between the highly clean area S1 and the non-highly clean area S2 in the lower part of both spaces. (It should be noted that "extending along the vertical direction" here does not necessarily mean having an exact vertical plane, and the vertical wall 24 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. A direction along the vertical direction means a direction including the vertical direction as a component).

The dimension from the ceiling 1 to the lower end of the hanging wall 24 is set as follows. First, the lower end of the hanging wall 24 is designed so as not to hinder the movement of the worker on the side of the device 5 on the floor 3 or hinder the circulation of the clean room air A1 excluding the exhaust sucked by the device 5. It should be positioned above the floor 3. Further, if the vertical wall 24 touches the device 5 , maintenance and relocation of the device 5 are hindered. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of circulation of the clean room air A1, which will be described later, the floor 3 and the lower end of the vertical wall 24 are brought close to each other to some extent while maintaining a certain distance, and the flow velocity of the clean room air A1 flowing below the vertical wall 24 is increased to It is preferable to keep it somewhat small. From the above, in order to achieve both the circulation of the clean room air A1 and the freedom of maintenance and relocation of the equipment 5, the vertical wall 24 is dimensioned such that the lower end is positioned about 10 cm above the upper end of the equipment 5. is most preferred. In this embodiment, the lower ends of the hanging walls 24 are continuous at the same height, and there is nothing blocking the space between the devices 5 .

As a material for the hanging wall 24, various materials such as a hard material such as a panel or a soft material such as a vinyl sheet weighted at the lower end can be used.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the transport rails 20 are installed in the target space S in an H shape in plan view. An H-shaped area along the transport rail 20 is set as a highly clean area S1, and a space above the highly clean area S1 is defined as a space C in the upper ceiling. The ceiling side wall 23 and the hanging wall 24 are arranged so as to form a pair of U-shapes in plan view at the boundary between the H-shaped high-level clean area S1 and the non-high-level clean area S2. The ceiling side wall 23 and the vertical wall 24 can be arranged along the components of the ceiling cell in plan view, for example, using the ceiling cell that constitutes the ceiling 1 . In addition, the position where the ceiling side wall 23 is installed does not necessarily have to be the edge of the ceiling 1 in plan view as shown here. Good luck. Also, the hanging wall 24 does not have to be arranged at the edge of the ceiling 1 in plan view as shown here, and may be arranged at the boundary between the highly clean area S1 and the non-highly clean area S2.

In the target space S in which the high-level clean area S1 and the non-high-level clean area S2 are set in this way, the equipment 5, as shown in FIGS. , and the parts other than the front part 5a are located in the non-highly clean area S2. This is because the device 5 requires particularly high cleanliness at the front face portion 5a of the loading/unloading portion for transferring the workpiece 18 to and from the pod descending from the transport vehicle 21 .

The air sent from the blower unit 2 to the high-level clean area S1 as the clean indoor air A1 is blown to the front part 5a of the device 5, passes between the hanging wall 24 and the floor 3, and escapes to the non-high-level clean area S2. In the meantime, if there is an exhaust heat discharged from the back part 5b of the device 5 or a place where dust is generated, the heat is received and the temperature is raised to become the return air A2. Then, the air is sucked into the upper ceiling space C as return air A2 from the non-highly clean area S2, and is sent out again from the blower unit 2 as clean indoor air A1.

Air circulation will be described in detail later, but a part of the air flow path configured in this way is further provided with a mechanism for cooling and humidifying the air.

In this embodiment, the space above the ceiling 1 installed above the high-level clean area S1 as described above is defined as the upper ceiling space C. It extends above a part of the clean area S2 (here, the left part of the passage on the left end wall, which is the chamber wall in FIG. 2) (hereinafter, this extension part is called the second ceiling 25 ), the space above the second ceiling 25 is defined as a space separate from the upper ceiling space C (hereinafter referred to as a suction chamber C1). That is, a side wall (second ceiling 26, which defines a suction chamber C1 sandwiched between the second ceiling 25 and the upper floor slab surface 22 and surrounded by the second ceiling sidewall 26. The suction chamber C1 communicates with the space C in the upper ceiling, and after the clean indoor air A1 in the non-highly clean area S2 becomes return air A2 due to heat generation and dust generation of the equipment, it temporarily passes through the suction chamber C1. After that, it is sent into the space C in the upper ceiling as indoor air before cleaning. A cooling unit 6 and a humidifying unit 29, which will be described later, are installed in the middle of this path so that the return air A2 passing through the suction chamber C1 is cooled and, if necessary, humidified. Here, the suction chamber C1 may be divided into a second ceiling 25, an upper floor slab surface 22, and a first ceiling side wall 23 as shown in FIG.

The configuration of the suction chamber C1 will be described more specifically. The second ceiling 25 forms a partial ceiling of the non-highly clean area S2 and constitutes the lower surface portion of the suction chamber C1. In this embodiment, the second ceiling 25 is level and continuous with the ceiling 1, but the role of the second ceiling 25 is to define the suction chamber C1 above the non-highly clean zone S2. It is possible to adopt various configurations and arrangements as long as it fulfills this role. For example, the second ceiling 25 may be installed at a height different from that of the ceiling 1, or may be installed at a position separated from the ceiling 1 in the horizontal direction. However, if the ceiling 1 and the second ceiling 25 are configured to be continuous at the same height as in this embodiment, it is the simplest in terms of the labor and cost of installing the second ceiling 25 .

The suction chamber C1 is thus defined so as to be adjacent to the upper ceiling space C, but the blower unit 2 is not installed in the suction chamber C1. Also, the second ceiling side wall 26 that defines the suction chamber C1 in the upper ceiling inner space C is not directly connected to the first ceiling side wall 23 . The suction chamber C1 faces the non-highly clean area S2 across a part of the upper ceiling space C (the left end in FIG. 2), and the second ceiling side wall that defines the suction chamber C1. 26 faces the first ceiling side wall 23 defining the upper ceiling inner space C with the upper ceiling inner space C interposed therebetween. A suction duct 27 is installed between the first ceiling side wall 23 and the second ceiling side wall 26 facing each other, and penetrates a part of the upper ceiling inner space C to the non-highly clean area S2 and the suction air. It communicates with the chamber C1.

In this embodiment, the suction duct 27 is configured as a duct-like member that horizontally connects the second ceiling side wall 26 and the first ceiling side wall 23 facing each other. As described above, the suction chamber C1 is not directly horizontally adjacent to the non-highly clean area S2, but the two spaces are connected by the suction duct 27 through a portion of the upper ceiling space C. As shown in FIG. The inside of the suction duct 27 is isolated from the space C in the upper ceiling.

The installation position of the suction duct 27 is preferably above the first ceiling side wall 23 to the second ceiling side wall 26 (immediately below the slab surface 22) as much as possible. This is for air circulation, which will be described later, and for efficient humidification.

In addition, a communication port 28 is provided at a location other than the suction duct 27 in the second ceiling side wall 26, and the communication port 28 communicates the suction chamber C1 with the upper ceiling space C. . The cooling unit 6 is provided in this communication port 28 so that all of the return air A2 flowing from the suction chamber C1 to the upper ceiling space C passes through the cooling unit 6 . A humidification unit 29 is further provided upstream of the cooling unit 6 in the suction chamber C1 to humidify the return air A2 before reaching the cooling unit 6 .

The humidifying unit 29 is a vaporization type humidifier provided with a water retainer 30 and a humidifying fan 31 as shown in FIG. The water holding body 30 and the humidifying fan 31 are provided on both sides of a rectangular box-shaped duct chamber 32 so as to face each other. The water retained in the water retainer 30 is vaporized to humidify the air. The water holding body 30 is made of a water holding material such as that used in a general evaporative humidifier, and is supplied with water from the outside through a water supply pipe 33 . Water dripping downward from the water retaining body 30 is drained from a drain pan 34 provided below the water retaining body 30 . The humidifying fan 31 of the humidifying unit 29 has a rotational speed control device 31a such as an inverter capable of controlling the rotational speed by an external signal. A signal sent from a humidity sensor installed in the highly clean area S1 is calculated from the deviation between the humidity setting value and the humidity actual measured value by the humidity controller, and is assigned to the rotation speed control device 31a, for example, from the lowest frequency of power transmission to the rated frequency. Proportional control of humidity can be achieved by means of a rotation speed signal.

The humidifying unit 29 having such a configuration is arranged in the suction chamber C1 as shown in FIGS. 1-5. The water retaining body 30 and the humidifying unit 29 are arranged so as to occupy a part of the cross section of the passage through which the return air A2 flows. A part of it is drawn into the humidifying unit 29 , humidified through the water retaining body 30 , discharged, and flows into the communication port 28 . The remaining return air A2 that is not drawn into the humidifying unit 29 bypasses the humidifying unit 29 and the water retainer 30 and flows to the communication port 28 . If the humidifying fan 31 is not operated, almost all of the return air A2 flows into the communication port 28 without being drawn into the humidifying unit 29. - 特許庁

Thus, although the humidification unit 29 of this embodiment employs the vaporization method, the amount of humidification can be freely controlled by controlling the rotational speed of the humidification fan 31 . In the case of a general vaporization type humidifier, the amount of water held in the element (corresponding to the water holding body 30 of this embodiment) is large, and even if the amount of dripping water at the top is controlled, the amount of evaporation cannot be limited to the draft. Therefore, it is difficult to finely control the amount of humidification because the amount of humidification cannot be adjusted immediately. However, the amount of humidified air drawn by the humidifying fan 31 can be controlled by rotating the humidifying fan 31, that is, the amount of air can be controlled. As a result, the amount of humidification can be sufficiently precisely controlled with the accuracy required for an industrial clean room.

In addition, since the humidifying unit 29 is not a spray type humidifier, unvaporized water droplets ride on the return air A2 and scatter at the obstruction, and furthermore, dust in the air rides on the circulating air and hits the equipment 5 etc. There is no need to particularly consider the situation of adhesion as dirty water droplets containing Therefore, it can be installed in a narrow space such as the suction chamber C1 without any trouble, which is advantageous when installing in a limited space.

When the return air A2 in the non-highly clean area S2 passes through the cooling unit 6 and moves to the upper ceiling space C as indoor air before cleaning, it passes through the suction duct 27 from the non-highly clean area S2 and once passes through the suction chamber. It enters C1 and reaches the space C in the upper ceiling through the communication port 28 in which the cooling unit 6 is installed. In this process, the pre-purified indoor air is cooled by the cooling unit 6 at the communication port 28 through which it passes as return air A2 before being sent as clean indoor air A1 from the blower unit 2 into the highly clean area S1. Furthermore, if necessary, before being cooled in the cooling unit 6, it is humidified in the humidification unit 29 installed in the suction chamber C1.

In this way, the clean indoor air A1 supplied from the upper ceiling space C to the highly clean area S1 through the blower unit 2 collects exhaust heat from the equipment 5 and flows into the non-highly clean area S2 to become return air A2. Then, the air passes through the suction chamber C1 from the suction duct 27 and returns from the communication port 28 to the upper ceiling space C as indoor air before cleaning. The conveying force required for such air circulation can be covered by the static pressure of the blower unit 2. Regarding the passage of air in the cooling unit 6, the circulation of air in the suction chamber C1, etc., a mechanism for blowing air is separately arranged. (However, in carrying out the present invention, if the conveying force of the blower unit 2 alone is insufficient, a mechanism for blowing air is installed in the cooling unit 6, the suction chamber C1, etc., and the conveying force may be supplemented).

In the air flow as described above, arranging the humidifying unit 29 in the suction chamber C1 is also advantageous in terms of humidification efficiency. The clean room air A1 that has reached the non-highly clean area S2 receives the exhaust heat of the equipment 5 and becomes return air A2, and further forms a heat pool in the upper part of the non-highly clean area S2. will be detailed later with specific numerical examples). The high-temperature return air A2 in this heat pool is drawn into the suction chamber C1 and flows through the communication port 28 into the upper ceiling space C. The high-temperature return air A2 drawn from the heat pool above the non-highly clean area S2 is humidified by the humidification unit 29 at the front stage of the cooling unit 6 provided in the communication port 28. That is, since the absolute humidity is almost the same in a high temperature state before being cooled by the cooling unit 6, the dry, low-humidity air is humidified. Therefore, quick and efficient humidification is possible. Also, at this time, the return air A2 is also cooled as the water evaporates, so the amount of cold heat required in the cooling unit 6 and the outdoor air conditioner 7 (see FIG. 1) is reduced to save energy. can also

Here, the case where the suction chamber C1 is formed by demarcating the space located at one end of the upper ceiling inner space C by the second ceiling side wall 26 has been described as an example. The format is not limited to this. The role of the suction chamber C1 is to ensure that the air passes through the cooling unit 6 when the air is sent out from the blower unit 2 as described above. form can be adopted.

For example, as shown in another embodiment in FIG. 7, when the arrangement of the transport rails 20 is different, the arrangement of the highly clean area S1 and the suction chamber C1 can also be changed accordingly. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the transport rails 20 are arranged in a T shape in plan view, and along with this, the shape of the highly clean zone S1 above which the blower unit 2 is installed also has a T shape in plan view. It's becoming The suction chamber C1 and the non-highly clean area S2 are directly adjacent to each other via the second ceiling side wall 26 . The cooling unit 6 is installed in the communication port 28, and the humidification unit 29 is installed in front of the cooling unit 6 in the suction chamber C1. The return air A2 that forms a heat pool above the non-highly clean area S2 is drawn into the suction chamber C1 through the suction port 35 provided in the first ceiling side wall 23, and humidified by the humidification unit 29 as necessary. In addition, the air is cooled by the cooling unit 6 and sent to the upper ceiling space C through the communication port 28 as indoor air before cleaning.

FIG. 8 shows yet another embodiment, in which the suction chamber C1, the second ceiling side wall 26 and the second ceiling 25 are omitted, and the non-highly clean zone S2 and the upper ceiling space C are directly communicated with through a communication port 28 . A communication port 28 is provided in the first ceiling side wall 23 separating the non-highly clean area S2 and the upper ceiling space C, and the cooling unit 6 is connected to the communication port 28 so that the coil portion is positioned within the upper ceiling space C. is set up. The return air A2 that forms a heat pool in the upper part of the non-highly clean area S2 passes through the communication port 28 provided in the first ceiling side wall 23, is cooled by the cooling unit 6, and is used as indoor air before cleaning in the upper ceiling. sent to space C. The humidification unit 29 is installed above the non-highly clean area S2 and in front of the communication port 28 with respect to the air flow, and humidifies the return air A2 before it is drawn into the communication port 28 at the front stage of the cooling unit 6. I do.

In this way, regardless of the space configuration, if the humidifying unit 29 is installed in the front stage of the cooling unit 6, it can efficiently humidify the high-temperature air before being cooled. In particular, in each embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the cooling unit 6 is arranged at a height above the return air A2 that forms a temperature stratification in the non-highly clean area S2, and the floor 3 of the temperature stratification The return air A2, which is located above and has a particularly high temperature, is drawn in and cooled. It is certain that it can be realized.

In addition, for example, a plurality of suction chambers C1 may be provided so as to communicate with a plurality of locations in the upper ceiling space C, and a cooling unit 6 may be provided for each suction chamber C1. Alternatively, the suction chamber C1 may be installed at a location other than the location adjacent to the upper ceiling inner space C, or the suction chamber C1 may be configured as a duct- or tube-shaped space, for example. Such an arrangement should be appropriately determined in consideration of appropriate air blowing to the highly clean zone S1, air cooling efficiency, and the like. However, from the viewpoint of effective use of the space above the floor 3 in the target space S and economical heat exchange in the cooling unit 6, the suction chamber C1 should Most preferably, it is formed at the same height as the ceiling space C, forms an air flow path with the suction duct 27 and the communication port 28, and cools the air with the cooling unit 6 provided at the communication port 28. and simple. As for the position of the humidifying unit 29 , it may be set at an appropriate position in front of the cooling unit 6 .

Regarding the first embodiment described above, the air circulation and the temperature distribution in the room will be further described with numerical examples. On the ceiling 1 above the high-level clean area S1, the blower unit 2 is installed with an appropriate density so that a predetermined air blow amount and cleanliness can be satisfied, and the clean indoor air blown downward from the blower unit 2 In A1, the number of installed air blowing units 2 is increased to some extent, and the air is guided toward the floor by the hanging wall 24, so that the air is almost down-flowed to the high-level clean area S1. The clean indoor air A1 flows downward through the front surface portion 5a of the device 5, becomes a lateral flow bypassing the lower end of the vertical wall 24 and the end surface of the device 5, and is pushed out to the non-highly clean area S2. The amount of heat generated at the front surface portion 5a of the device 5 is half or less, for example, 30% of the amount of heat generated at other portions of the device. In the non-highly clean area S2, clean room air A1 becomes a flow of return air A2 while licking the side of the portion of the equipment 5 that generates a lot of heat, and flows upward toward the inlet of the suction duct 27 located above the ceiling 1. Become.

As an example, the blowout temperature in the blower unit 2 is set as follows. If the temperature conditions of the pods and the products in the pods that may come into contact in the high-level clean zone S1 and the temperature of the supply air for exhaust are set to, for example, 23°C, the temperature of the blowing air from the blower unit 2 is 20°C. , the amount of heat generated by the ceiling transfer and the amount of heat generated by the front surface portion 5a of the device 5 are processed, and the temperature becomes 23.degree. The clean room air A1 supplied at 20° C. from the upper ceiling space C through the blower unit 2 is sent into the lower high-level clean area S1, and is blown onto the conveying rail 20 and the front part 5a of the equipment 5 (FIG. 1 to 5). The workpiece 18, which is transported by the transport vehicle 21 and whose pods are lowered from the transport vehicle 21 and transferred to the equipment 5, is blown with the clean indoor air A1 that has just been cleaned by the blower unit 2, and is cleaned. kept in

Next, the clean indoor air A1 passes between the devices 5, between the devices 5 and the vertical wall 24, and between the vertical wall 24 and the floor 3, and moves to the non-highly clean area S2. Since the work piece 18 is not transferred or transported in the non-highly clean area S2, if the cleanliness of the clean room air A1 decreases on the way from the high-level clean area S1 to the non-highly clean area S2, it becomes the return air A2. Even if this happens, there is no possibility that the return air A2 in that state will come into direct contact with the workpiece 18.

As described above, the device 5 is arranged so that the front part 5a slightly protrudes into the high-level clean area S1, and the clean room air A1 moves from the high-level clean area S1 to the non-high-level clean area S2. receives exhaust heat from the front surface portion 5a of the device 5. The exhaust heat received by the clean room air A1 from the front surface portion 5a in this process is, for example, about 30% of the heat generated by the entire device 5. As shown in FIG.

The clean room air A1 heading toward the non-highly clean area S2 further receives exhaust heat from portions (such as the back portion 5b) other than the front portion 5a of the equipment 5, raises its temperature, and becomes return air A2. The non-highly clean area S2 has no ceiling 1 and has a straight ceiling structure in which the slab surface 22 is exposed. to form The temperature of the return air A2 in the heat reservoir is, for example, about 30.degree. The return air A2 has no possibility of coming into contact with the product like the front part 5a of the equipment 5, and the air used for exhaust is also introduced into the equipment from the front part 5a, so the internal temperature condition of the equipment may be higher than 23°C. That is, as a result of receiving the exhaust heat from the entire device 5, the temperature of the clean room air A1 rises from the blowing temperature of 20°C by about 10°C. As described above, the exhaust heat received by the clean room air A1 from the front surface portion 5a of the equipment 5 in the high-level clean area S1 is about 30% of the exhaust heat of the equipment 5 as a whole. The temperature of the indoor air A1 is about 23°C. This is the correct temperature for the workpiece 18, such as a substrate. In the cooling unit 6, in order to maintain the proper temperature of 23° C. in the front part 5a of the device 5, the temperature of the clean room air A1 immediately before shifting to the non-highly clean area S2 is measured, and based on this, the temperature of the refrigerant, etc. to control the amount of heat exchange.

When the temperature-raised return air A2 rises in the non-highly clean area S2, the first ceiling side wall 23 provided between the upper part of the non-highly clean area S2 and the upper ceiling inner space C moves to the non-highly clean area S2. , and the return air A2 is slowly transported upward while forming thermal stratification in this inverted tank-shaped space. In addition, the hanging wall 24 provided below the first ceiling side wall 23 also plays the same role. The temperature of the air on the way from the clean room air A1 to the return air A2 below this temperature stratification is due to the fact that while receiving the exhaust heat from the equipment 5, it mixes with the surrounding cold clean room air A1. , around 25°C. Above the temperature stratification, the temperature is about 30° C. as described above. Here, if the plane area of the non-high-level clean area S2 is set equal to or greater than the plane area of the high-level clean area S1, a slow flow of the clean room air A1 as a whole tends to be formed, and a more stable temperature stratification is achieved. is easily formed.

In addition, the vertical wall 24 separates the high-level clean area S1 and the non-high-level clean area S2, so that clean and relatively low-temperature clean indoor air that has just been supplied from the blower unit 2 to the high-level clean area S1 is separated from the high-level clean area S1. It also has the function of preventing the return air A2 in the non-highly clean area S2 from being mixed with A1. The flow of clean room air A1 directed downward from the blower unit 2 and the flow of return air A2 directed upward from the vicinity of the equipment 5 are divided by the vertical wall 24, so that the return air A2 in the non-highly clean area S2 is divided. This prevents the state (temperature and cleanliness) from greatly affecting the state of the clean room air A1 in the highly clean zone S1.

Of course, if a sufficient number of blower units 2 are arranged in the high-level clean area S1 and a sufficient amount of clean indoor air A1 is blown downward from the blower units 2, even if the hanging wall 24 is not installed, high-level clean air can be achieved. It is possible to maintain a certain degree of cleanliness due to the strong downflow that occurs in zone S1. However, in order to more reliably maintain the cleanliness in the highly clean zone S1, it is preferable to install the vertical wall 24 as well. Further, the vertical wall 24 has the function of forming temperature stratification as described above, and the point of ensuring the temperature difference between the clean room air A1 and the return air A2 in the highly clean area S1 and the non-highly clean area S2. It is also useful in As will be described later, from the viewpoint of air circulation, it is advantageous to keep the temperature difference between the clean room inward air A1 and the return air A2 between the two areas high to some extent.

From the inlet of the suction duct 27 provided in a part of the first ceiling side wall 23 surrounding the upper part of the non-highly clean area S2, return air A2 of about 30° C. that forms a heat pool above the non-highly clean area S2 is drawn into the suction chamber C1. When the humidification fan 31 of the humidification unit 29 installed in the suction chamber C1 is operating at a certain rotation speed, part of the return air A2 in the suction chamber C1 is drawn into the humidification unit 29 and is humidified and cooled. is discharged. Here, since the temperature of the return air A2 drawn into the humidification unit 29 is as high as about 30° C., vaporization of water in the water holding body 30 proceeds efficiently, and humidification and cooling can be effectively performed.

The return air A2 discharged from the humidification unit 29 joins the return air A2 bypassing the humidification unit 29 and flows to the communication port 28 . The return air A2 is further cooled to a temperature of about 20° C. by the cooling unit 6 provided in the communication port 28 and returned to the upper ceiling space C as indoor air before cleaning, and dust is removed from the blower unit 2. After that, it is supplied again to the highly clean area S1 as the clean indoor air A1.

The circulation of air as described above is driven mainly by the operation of the fan in the blower unit 2, but the difference in the specific gravity of the air also functions. That is, clean indoor air A1 of about 20° C. is supplied to the high-level clean area S1, while return air A2 having a relatively high temperature of about 25-30° C. and a small specific gravity is supplied to the non-high-level clean area S2. With the help of such a difference in specific gravity, the clean room air that has flowed from the highly clean area S1 below the hanging wall 24 to the hanging wall 24 and the first ceiling side wall 23 in the non-highly clean area S2. Ascend the enclosed space.

On the other hand, in the case of the conventional example as shown in FIG. As for the temperature, in order to process 100% of the heat load up to the return air A2 that processed heat generation, it is possible to process with a maximum cooling temperature difference of 8°C in the dry coil at the dew point temperature of this appropriate temperature so that dehumidification does not occur in the room15 °C. The clean indoor air A1 receives the exhaust heat of the equipment 5 and rises to about 23° C. until it passes under the floor as return air A2. Then, it is cooled down to 15° C. in the cooling unit 6 and sent to the blower unit 2 again.

In this way, when comparing the conventional example shown in FIG. 12 with the present embodiment shown in FIGS. While raising the average temperature of the device 5 compared to the conventional example, the temperature around the equipment 5 is set to about 25°C in the non-highly clean area S2, and an appropriate temperature of about 23°C in the front part 5a facing the high-level clean area S1. It is possible to control to keep In such temperature setting, the set temperature is determined based on the exhaust heat amount in the entire target space S as in the conventional example, and the overall temperature is uniformly managed. A relatively high temperature area and a low area of A2 are set, and the area that particularly requires cooling (in the case of this embodiment, the periphery of the device 5, especially the vicinity of the front part 5a) is set to other areas (in the case of this embodiment is upstream of the non-highly clean area S2). In other words, the supply of cooled air is limited to the highly clean area S1, which requires precise temperature control, and the set temperature in other areas is raised to reduce the amount of cold heat required for cooling. of.

This embodiment is also advantageous in terms of cooling efficiency of the refrigerant supplied to the cooling unit 6. FIG. In the case of the conventional example, the return air A2 at 23.degree. C. must be cooled down to 15.degree. Also, taking into consideration the fact that moisture in the air does not condense in the cooling unit 6 to prevent unintended dehumidification, the temperature of the coolant supplied to the cooling unit 6 is, for example, 10° C. at the inlet and 10° C. at the outlet. It is set at about 15° C. (for air with a relative humidity of 45% at 23° C.). On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the humidifying fan 31 of the humidifying unit 29 is not operated, the cooling unit 6 cools the return air A2 at 30°C to 20°C. In this case, the temperature of the coolant supplied to the cooling unit 6 is about 15°C at the inlet and about 20°C at the outlet. When the humidification fan 31 is operated to humidify and cool the return air A2, the return air A2 whose temperature is slightly lower than 30° C. is cooled by the cooling unit 6. The temperature setting of is sufficiently high compared to the conventional example.

In a cold heat source (not shown) that supplies refrigerant to the cooling unit 6, the higher the incoming refrigerant temperature is, the smaller the pressure difference between the evaporator and the condenser is. The coefficient of performance COP, which is the KW ratio, increases. Therefore, the amount of energy consumed for cooling the refrigerant in the cold heat source (not shown) can also be reduced in this embodiment. In addition, during the interim and winter seasons, free cooling is sometimes performed using the cold heat of the outside air to cool the refrigerant. can be planned. Moreover, of course, the higher the temperature of the refrigerant, the less likely condensation of water will occur on the surface of the cooling unit 6, and there is no concern that unexpected dehumidification will occur.

As for the energy for driving the circulation of air, in the present embodiment, the ratio of driving due to the difference in the specific gravity of the air is large, and the energy saving effect can be obtained here as well. That is, in the conventional example, the blowout temperature of the clean room air A1 was about 15°C, the temperature after receiving the exhaust heat from the equipment 5 was about 23°C, and the temperature difference was about 8°C. Then, the blown-out temperature of the clean indoor air A1 is about 20°C, and the temperature of the return air A2 forming the heat pool above the non-highly clean area S2 is about 30°C, with a temperature difference of about 10°C. Since the difference in specific gravity of air is proportional to the difference in temperature, in the case of the present embodiment, the driving force due to the difference in specific gravity of air increases, so that the fan driving energy required for air circulation in the blower unit 2 can be reduced.

Here, if the intake duct 27 is installed immediately below the slab surface 22 as described above, the return air A2 having a high temperature of about 30° C. that forms a heat pool above the non-highly clean area S2 will flow from the intake duct 27. It will constantly draw in and cool down. In the conventional example, the temperature difference of the air that conveys the cold heat is about 8°C, whereas in this embodiment, the temperature difference is as large as about 10°C. As a result, the amount of air blown can be reduced by as much as 20%. Moreover, it is more advantageous in terms of obtaining a driving force due to the difference in specific gravity.

In the clean room air conditioning system of this embodiment as described above, the air taken in as outside air A3 is mixed with return air A2, supplied as clean room air A1, and circulated as clean room air A1 or return air A2. The temperature and humidity fluctuations and the associated energy saving effect will be further described with reference to the TX psychrometric diagram of FIG.

FIG. 9 shows a reference example assumed to be compared with this embodiment. The basic configuration is the same as that of the conventional example shown in FIG. A water humidifier 14 such as an air washer 7 covers everything.

FIG. 10 schematically shows changes in air temperature and humidity in such a reference example. Assuming winter outside air conditions, the outside air A3 before being drawn into the outdoor air conditioner 7 is in a state corresponding to, for example, the lower left position indicated by symbol A with respect to the saturated steam curve in the figure.

If the humidifier 14 is a humidifier that adds liquid water to the air and evaporates it, the preheating coil 10 and the heating coil 12 heat the outside air A3 to a position indicated by B in the drawing. . Subsequently, the outside air A3 is humidified and cooled by the humidifier 14 along the isenthalpy line to the position indicated by the symbol C, which is obtained by multiplying the line segment length of the intersection point between the point B and the saturation curve by the humidification saturation efficiency. Here, the position indicated by the symbol Ba in the figure is the stage before the outside air A3 is heated by the preheating coil 10 and further heated by the heating coil 12 at the outlet beyond the cooling coil 11 which does not exchange heat in winter. showing.

If the humidifier 14 is a humidifier that adds low-pressure steam to the air, the outside air A3 at the position A is heated by the preheating coil 10 and the heating coil 12 to the same dry-bulb temperature as that of point C, B'. It is heated to the position indicated by the symbol, and further humidified to the position C by the humidifier 14 as indicated by the dashed line in the figure.

Subsequently, the outside air A3 introduced under the floor mixes with the return air A2 in the space under the floor, where the temperature rises (D in the figure). Furthermore, after being cooled by the cooling unit 6 which is a dry coil (E in the figure), it is introduced into the target space S as the clean indoor air A1, and the temperature is raised by the exhaust heat of the equipment 5. Then, it returns to the underfloor as return air A2 (F in the figure).

In the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, fluctuations in air temperature and humidity are shown in FIG. %. Outside air A3 at position A passes through position G for water humidification, or G' for steam humidification, and is heated and humidified to position H, which is half the required amount of humidification. Subsequently, the clean room directed air A1 receives exhaust heat, becomes return air A2, and rises in the non-highly clean area S2 by upflow, forming a heat pool in the upper part. The return air A2 at the top of the heat sink is drawn into the suction chamber C1 as position I.

Furthermore, the outside air A3 introduced into the upper part of the non-highly clean area S2 such as the suction chamber C1 has an air volume ratio (for example, 1:7) with the uppermost return air A2, which receives the exhaust heat of the equipment 5 here. Mix and the temperature and humidity rise (J in the figure). In the suction chamber C1, the air sucked into the humidifying unit 29 is humidified and cooled (K in the figure), and the air that has not been sucked into the humidifying unit 29 passes through and is mixed (L in the figure). The return air A2 is cooled by the cooling unit 6 (M in the figure), is sucked by the blower unit 2, and is blown out to the lower HEPA filter of the housing as the clean indoor air A1, which is the highly clean area S1 in the target space S. supplied to The clean indoor air A1 supplied to the high-level clean area S1 receives exhaust heat from the equipment 5 to raise its temperature and become return air A2, which is mixed with the outside air A3 in the upper part of the non-high-level clean area S2 such as the suction chamber C1. (J in the figure). Air thus moves on the TX diagram shown in FIG.

In the air conditioning system of this embodiment, unlike the reference example shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the indoor humidification unit 29 is responsible for part of the humidification. Therefore, the amount of humidification in the outdoor air conditioner 7 is as small as 50% in the example of FIG. 11 compared to the reference example. That is, the humidity at the position H in FIG. 11 is half the humidity at the position C in FIG. 10 as an absolute humidity difference, and the amount of humidification is also half. Therefore, if the humidifier 14 is a humidifier that adds liquid water to air and evaporates it, the amount of heating by the preheating coil 10 and the heating coil 12 (left and right direction from position A to position G ) can be reduced, and the amount of water to be added in the humidifier 14 (vertical distance from position G to position H) can be reduced. In addition, it is less likely that severe humidification is applied to near the saturation line, and high humidification saturation efficiency is not required. If the humidifier 14 is a humidifier that adds low-pressure steam to air, the amount of water vapor added in the humidifier 14 (vertical distance from the position of G′ to the position of H) can be small. .

In a facility having a clean room, there are usually attached rooms (not shown) in addition to the clean room, and the outdoor air conditioner 7 is responsible for air conditioning of the target space S, which is the clean room, as well as those attached rooms. is normal. Here, as in the reference example shown in FIG. 9, if the entire humidification of the target space S, which is a clean room, is covered by the outdoor air conditioner 7, the same humidification as that performed for the target space S can be performed in the ancillary rooms and the like. I will also do it. In other words, the air in the state shown at position C in FIG. 10 is supplied not only to the target space S but also to the incidental rooms. On the other hand, in the case of this embodiment, the air in the state indicated by H in FIG. Humidification is performed by 29 . Therefore, the total amount of humidification in the entire facility can be greatly reduced, and the energy required for humidification can be saved.

Although the air-conditioning system including the outdoor air conditioner 7 is illustrated as an embodiment of the present invention, the outdoor air conditioner may be used depending on the required amount of humidification, the amount of cold heat, the layout of the clean room and its surroundings, and other conditions. In principle, it is also possible to provide all of the temperature and humidity adjustment by the cooling unit 6 and the humidification unit 29 in the room.

Further, the air conditioning system of this embodiment has advantages in terms of quality and cost in terms of cleanliness management as well as the above-mentioned advantage in terms of energy for temperature control. That is, in the present embodiment, as described above, the air from the blower unit 2 is concentratedly supplied to the highly clean area S1 in the target space S, thereby purifying the air in a large space uniformly. , it is also possible to reduce the number of necessary blower units 2 to be installed. In this way, it is possible to maintain a high degree of cleanliness in the advanced clean zone S1 while reducing the cost of air purification.

At this time, it is one of the advantages of this embodiment that a large space without partitions can be set as the target space S for air cleaning. By centrally arranging the blower units 2, it is possible to locally set a highly clean area S1 with high cleanliness even without a partition on the floor 3, and when using the target space S which is a large space, high cleanliness and high cleanliness can be achieved. Both degrees of freedom can be achieved. Here, if the vertical wall 24 is installed at a position above the floor 3 and the equipment 5 at the boundary between the high-level clean area S1 and the non-high-level clean area S2, the reliability of cleanliness in the high-level clean area S1 can be improved. It is possible to flexibly respond to changes in the layout of the equipment 5 on the floor 3, etc. while maintaining the same.

Here, when processing a workpiece in a clean room, the workpiece may be temporarily stocked in a part of the target space. Regarding this work piece stocking place, in the old partition type clean room, for example, a vertical shelf type stocker was provided on the floor of the target space. In the case of a clean room that employs , it is possible to provide a siding line for stock on the transport rail 20 and substitute the function of the stocker for the ceiling transport device 19 . By doing so, we have succeeded in avoiding a decrease in the degree of freedom in equipment arrangement due to the provision of partitions on the floor, and in reducing the initial cost of expensive transportation on the floor.

Of course, it cannot be denied that the ceiling conveying device 19 also has inconveniences in terms of relocation. In other words, since the transport rails 20 are hung from the ceiling structure or the slab surface 22 and are firmly fixed, work such as changing the arrangement of the transport rails 20 or relocating the transport rails 20 is time-consuming and costly. . As a result, the transfer route of the workpiece 18 is fixed to some extent, and the arrangement of the equipment 5 is also affected by the arrangement of the transfer rails 20 . Therefore, also in the present invention, the position of the highly clean area S1 in the target space S is fixed to some extent in realizing a large clean room. However, in this embodiment, it is possible to freely install the number of blower units 2 corresponding to the blowing volume in the highly clean area S1 fixed to some extent while considering heat generation, which is advantageous compared to the above-described conventional example. is. Also, in the non-highly clean area S2, the equipment can be freely rearranged.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the letter shaft 4 (see FIG. 12) as in the conventional example is not required, and the target space S can be used more effectively. That is, in the conventional example described above, the return shaft 4 is required to return the air supplied to the target space S from under the floor to above the ceiling 1, and the space is wasted by this return shaft 4, resulting in poor utilization efficiency. was declining. On the other hand, in the case of the present embodiment, the air sent to the highly clean area S1 in the target space S rises in the non-highly clean area S2, which is another area in the same target space S, to the upper ceiling space C. back to In other words, the first ceiling side wall 23, the hanging wall 24, and the non-highly clean area S2 surrounded by them are in place of the letan shaft 4, but the first ceiling side wall 23 and the hanging wall 24 are As shown, the vertical wall 24 is above the floor 3 and the dimensions of the vertical wall 24 are set so as not to hinder the movement of the equipment 5. Therefore, these do not reduce the degree of freedom regarding the use of the target space S. Thus, in this embodiment, the utilization efficiency of the clean space, which requires a high maintenance cost, is enhanced.

In addition, in the air conditioning system of the embodiment, after the strong downflow in the highly clean area S1, the air is circulated without passing through the underfloor space due to the flow that changes from the side flow to the upflow in the non-highly clean area S2. be. In the conventional example described above, in order to reliably circulate the air, the air is drawn into the space under the floor through the opening provided in the floor 3 to form a downward air current. In contrast, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to use the underfloor space for air circulation. Therefore, the space under the floor can be used for other purposes, such as a dedicated area for installing accessories of the equipment 5, a space for some kind of work, and the like. Alternatively, although the floor 3 is illustrated as a raised floor in FIGS. 1 to 3, depending on the use of the clean room, the floor 3 may not be a raised floor and may be provided along the floor surface of the slab floor or along the floor surface of the slab floor. It is also possible to use the floor surface as it is as the floor 3. Further, in the above conventional example, it takes time and effort to adjust the intake airflow from the opening of the floor 3, but such an operation is not required.

As described above, in the clean room air-conditioning system of each of the above-described embodiments, an area in the target space S that requires a higher degree of cleanliness than other areas is set as the highly clean area S1, and the highly clean area The area other than S1 is set as a non-highly clean area S2, and above the highly clean area S1, a blower unit 2 is provided to supply purified air (clean room air A1) downward, and the highly clean area S1 The supplied air (clean room air A1) passes over the floor 3 and reaches the non-highly clean area S2, rises in the non-highly clean area S2, becomes return air A2, and is again highly cleaned from the blower unit 2. A cooling unit 6 configured to be supplied to the zone S1 and cooling the air (return air A2) that ascends the non-highly clean zone S2 and reaches the blower unit 2; and a humidifying unit 29 for humidifying the By doing so, it is possible to reduce the cost of cleaning the air and achieve a high degree of cleanliness in the advanced clean zone S1. In addition, air can be supplied to the highly clean zone S1 by downflow, and there is no need to use the underfloor space for air circulation. By humidifying the air before being cooled by the cooling unit 6 with the humidifying unit 29, humidification can be performed efficiently.

In each of the above embodiments, the humidifying unit 29 includes a water retaining body 30 that retains water, a humidifying fan 31 that blows air against the water retaining body 30, and a rotation speed control device 31a that can control the rotation speed of the humidification fan 31. and In this way, while adopting the vaporization type humidification unit 29 as a humidifier, the amount of humidification can be adjusted to the clean room by proportionally controlling the amount of air taken into the humidification fan 31 as the rotation speed control of the fan based on the signal of the humidity sensor. Sufficiently precise control can be achieved with the required accuracy.

Each of the above embodiments has a vertical wall 24 extending vertically above the floor 3 between the highly clean area S1 and the non-highly clean area S2. In this way, by dividing the downward air flow from the blower unit 2 in the highly clean area S1 and the upward air flow in the non-highly clean area S2 by the vertical wall 24, It is possible to prevent the state of the air from greatly affecting the state of the air in the highly clean area S1.

In some embodiments, the ceiling 1 on which the blower unit 2 and the closing panel 2a placed where the blower unit 2 is not placed is located above the high-level clean area S1. The space is defined as an upper ceiling space C by the ceiling side wall 23, the blower unit 2 is installed in the ceiling 1 so as to supply the air in the upper ceiling space C to the highly clean area S1, and the cooling unit 6 and humidification The unit 29 is configured to be installed upward from the ceiling 1 . In this way, the supply of cooled air is limited to the highly clean area S1, which requires precise temperature control, and the set temperature in other areas is raised, thereby reducing the amount of cold heat required for cooling. can be done.

In some embodiments, the second ceiling 25 is positioned partially above the room wall side of the non-highly clean area S2, and the space above the second ceiling 25 is sucked by the second ceiling side wall 26. The cooling unit 6 is installed in the path leading from the suction chamber C1 to the upper ceiling space C, and the humidification unit 29 is installed in the suction chamber C1 and extends from the non-highly clean area S2 to the upper ceiling space. The air moving to the space C is configured to be supplied to the highly clean area S1 by the blower unit 2 via the suction chamber C1 from the opening of the second ceiling side wall 26 .

In some embodiments, the second ceiling 25 is level and continuous with the ceiling 1, and the suction chamber C1 is adjacent to the upper ceiling space C. By doing so, it is simple and easy to install on the second ceiling 25 in terms of labor and cost.

In some embodiments, the ceiling side wall 23 is provided with a suction port 35 that guides the air in the non-highly clean area S2 to the upper ceiling space C, the suction port 35 is provided with a cooling unit 6, and the air in the non-highly clean area S2 A humidifying unit 29 is provided in the preceding stage of the cooling unit 6 in .

In each embodiment, the target space S is configured to have a conveying rail 20 that constitutes a ceiling conveying device 19 that conveys the workpiece 18, and the area around the conveying rail 20 is set as the highly clean area S1. are doing.

Therefore, according to each of the embodiments described above, it is possible to eliminate restrictions on installation of the humidifier as much as possible.

The air-conditioning system for a clean room according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 ceiling 2 blower unit 2a closing panel 3 floor 6 cooling unit 18 workpiece 19 ceiling conveying device 20 conveying rail 23 ceiling side wall 24 hanging wall 25 second ceiling 26 second ceiling side wall 28 communication port 29 humidification unit 30 water holding body 31 fan 31a rotation speed control device 35 suction port A1 air (clean indoor air)
A2 Air (return air)
C Ceiling space (upper ceiling space)
C1 suction chamber S target space S1 highly clean area S2 non-highly clean area

Claims (6)

In the target space, an area that requires a higher degree of cleanliness than other areas is set as a highly clean area, and an area other than the highly clean area is set as a non-highly clean area,
On the floor of the target space, a plurality of devices with exhaust heat are placed sideways so that the front part slightly protrudes into the high-level clean area, and the front part is located in the non-high-level clean area. are arranged side by side at intervals that can be moved,
A predetermined number of air blowing units that supply purified air downward above the high-level clean area;
A ceiling installed with a closing panel placed where there is no blower unit, and a straight ceiling above the non-highly clean area where the lower surface of the floor slab on the upper floor is exposed.
with
The space above the ceiling is defined as a space in the ceiling by ceiling sidewalls,
The blower unit is installed on the ceiling so as to supply the air in the ceiling space to the high-level clean area,
The air supplied to the high-level clean area passes between the plurality of devices on the floor, reaches the non-high-level clean region, rises in the non-high-level clean region with exhaust heat from the plurality of devices , and blows the air. configured to be supplied from the unit to the high-level clean area again,
a cooling unit that cools the air that ascends the non-high-level clean area and reaches the blower unit;
A humidification unit having a water holding body that holds water, a humidification fan that blows air against the water holding body, and a rotation speed control device that can control the rotation speed of the humidification fan so as to humidify the air in the preceding stage of the cooling unit. with
The cooling unit and the humidifying unit are installed above the ceiling near an opening in a ceiling side wall that is not directly above the plurality of devices arranged side by side.
A clean room air conditioning system characterized by: 2. The air-conditioning system for a clean room according to claim 1, further comprising a vertical wall extending vertically above the floor between said high-level clean area and said non-high-level clean area. A second ceiling is positioned above a part of the room wall side of the non-highly clean area,
the space above the second ceiling is defined as a suction chamber by a second ceiling sidewall;
The cooling unit is installed in a path from the suction chamber to the ceiling space,
The humidification unit is installed in the suction chamber,
The air moving from the non-high-level clean area to the space in the ceiling is supplied to the high-level clean area by the blower unit via the suction chamber from the opening in the second ceiling side wall. The clean room air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2 . 4. The clean room air conditioning system of claim 3 , wherein the second ceiling is flush with and continuous with the ceiling, and the suction chamber is adjacent to the intraceiling space. The ceiling side wall has a suction port for guiding the air in the non-highly clean area to the ceiling space,
The cooling unit is provided at the suction port,
3. The air conditioning system for a clean room according to claim 1, wherein said humidification unit is provided in the preceding stage of said cooling unit in said non-high-level clean area. A transport rail that constitutes a ceiling transport device for transporting the workpiece is installed in the target space,
6. The air-conditioning system for a clean room according to claim 1 , wherein an area around said transport rail is set as said highly clean area.

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