JP7398626B2 - air conditioning system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioning system for air conditioning a laboratory or a clean room.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In laboratories or clean rooms where chemicals are handled, the risk of exposure to chemicals is a problem, and techniques have been developed to reduce the risk of such exposure. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioning system that circulates air in a clean room during normal times, and exhausts air from the clean room when an abnormality occurs when the concentration of a chemical substance in the clean room accidentally increases. Patent Document 2 discloses a ventilation system that ventilates semiconductor manufacturing equipment using a system of air independent of the air in a clean room.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-346417 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-176762

By the way, if a worker or the like spills liquid medicine in a laboratory or clean room, simply ventilating the laboratory or clean room as in the technology described in Patent Document 1 will not prevent It is difficult to control the drug concentration below the permissible concentration or threshold value in a short period of time. This is because it takes time for all of the liquid drug to vaporize.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce the risk of exposure to vaporized drugs when liquid drugs spill in a laboratory or clean room. At the same time, the concentration in the air of a laboratory or clean room should be reduced as early as possible.

In order to solve the above problems, an air conditioning system includes an air conditioner that sucks air from the exhaust port of a laboratory or clean room and the outdoors, and blows the sucked air into the laboratory or clean room, and an air conditioner that sucks air from the exhaust port of the laboratory or clean room. An exhaust fan is provided between the air conditioner, the exhaust fan, and the exhaust port for sucking in air and discharging the sucked air outdoors, and the exhaust fan is provided between the air conditioner and the exhaust fan and the exhaust port, and when the air conditioner is in operation and the exhaust fan is stopped, the exhaust fan is The outlet and the air conditioner are communicated with each other, and the exhaust port and the exhaust fan are blocked, and when the air conditioner is stopped and the exhaust fan is activated, the exhaust port and the air conditioner are communicated with each other, and the exhaust port and the exhaust fan are communicated with each other. a directional switch that connects the exhaust fan; a gas sensor that is installed near the exhaust port and detects gaseous chemicals; a blower fan that is installed at the bottom of the laboratory or the clean room; Activating the air conditioner and stopping the exhaust fan and the blower fan when the gaseous drug is not detected; and stopping the air conditioner and stopping the air conditioner when the gaseous drug is detected by the gas sensor. A control unit that operates the exhaust fan and the blower fan.

According to the above, when the drug concentration in the air in the laboratory or clean room accidentally increases, the air conditioner is stopped and the circulation of the air in the laboratory or clean room is stopped. The exhaust fan is activated to ventilate the laboratory. Thus, the risk of drug exposure is reduced.
Additionally, when the blower fan is activated, air is blown onto the overflowing liquid medicine. This promotes vaporization of the liquid drug. Therefore, the overflowing liquid drug is quickly removed, and the drug concentration in the air is quickly reduced. Therefore, the laboratory or clean room can be reused quickly.

Preferably, the air conditioning system further includes an alarm provided in the laboratory or the clean room, and when the gas sensor does not detect the gaseous drug, the control unit stops the alarm, and the gas sensor When the gaseous drug is detected by the controller, the controller activates the alarm.

According to the above, if the drug concentration in the air in a laboratory or clean room accidentally increases, the alarm is activated to alert the operator. This allows workers to leave the laboratory or clean room early. Thus, the risk of drug exposure is reduced.

Preferably, the air conditioning system is provided in the laboratory or the clean room, and further includes a human sensor that detects the presence of a person in the laboratory or the clean room, and the gas sensor detects the gaseous drug. In addition, when the presence of a person is not detected by the human sensor, the control unit operates the blower fan.

According to the above, the blower fan operates when no one is present in the laboratory or clean room. Therefore, even if the concentration of the drug in the laboratory or clean room increases due to vaporization of the liquid drug, it will not harm the workers.

Preferably, the laboratory or the clean room is vertically divided by a grating floor having a large number of holes, and the blower fan and the gas sensor are provided in a space below the grating floor.

Preferably, the laboratory or the clean room is vertically divided by a grating floor having a large number of holes, the blower fan and the gas sensor are provided in a space below the grating floor, and the human sensor is installed in a space below the grating floor. It is installed in the space above.

According to the above, when a worker spills liquid medicine, the medicine drips below the grating floor. Since the gas sensor is provided below the grating floor, an increase in the concentration of the drug in the air can be reliably detected by the gas sensor. Furthermore, since the blower fan is provided below the grating floor, the air from the blower fan is blown onto the medicine dropped below the grating floor, thereby reliably promoting vaporization of the medicine.

Preferably, the air conditioning system is provided on an outer wall separating the laboratory or the clean room from the outdoors, closes when the air conditioner is activated and the exhaust fan is stopped, and closes when the air conditioner is activated and the exhaust fan is closed. It further includes a damper that opens when activated.

According to the above, since outdoor air is introduced into the laboratory or clean room through the damper when the exhaust fan is activated, the laboratory or clean room is ventilated. Therefore, even if the drug concentration in the air in the laboratory increases accidentally, further increase in drug concentration can be suppressed.

According to the present invention, vaporization of the liquid drug is promoted by blowing air onto the overflowing liquid drug. Therefore, the overflowing liquid drug is quickly removed, and the drug concentration in the air is quickly reduced.

1 is a drawing showing an air conditioning system in a laboratory. It is a drawing showing an air conditioning system according to a modification. It is a graph showing experimental results.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are subject to various technically preferable limitations for carrying out the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

[1. Air conditioning system configuration]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the building. In this embodiment, the building is a multi-story building, and FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a certain floor 11. The indoor space on the floor 11 is provided between the lower slab 21 and the upper slab 22, and the indoor space on the floor 11 and the indoor space on the lower floor 12 are partitioned by the lower slab 21. The indoor space on the upper floor 13 is partitioned by an upper slab 22. A wall panel 23 is erected on the lower slab 21, and the indoor space on the floor 11 is partitioned into a laboratory room 31 and a machine room 35 by the wall panel 23. A grating floor 24 is laid above the lower slab 21 in the laboratory 31, and the laboratory 31 is divided by the grating floor 24 into an above-floor space 32 and an under-floor space 33. The grating floor 24 is provided in the form of a grid or mesh, and has a large number of small holes.

The air conditioning system that air-conditions the laboratory 31 will be described in detail below.
This air conditioning system includes an air conditioner 41, an air filter 42, an exhaust fan 43, a damper 44, a direction switch 45, ducts 51, 52, 53, 55, a blower fan 61, a control unit 46, an alarm 47, and a plurality of gas sensors 62. and a plurality of human sensors 63.

The air conditioner 41 is installed on the ceiling of the laboratory 31, that is, on the lower surface of the upper slab 22. Air filter 42 is installed within machine room 35. The exhaust fan 43 is installed on the outer wall of the floor 11. The damper 44 is installed on the outer wall facing the above-floor space 32. The ventilation fan 61 and gas sensor 62 are installed in the underfloor space 33. The control unit 46 and the alarm 47 are installed in the above-floor space 32. Note that the control unit 46 may be installed in the underfloor space 33 or the machine room 35, or may be installed on a different floor from the floor 11 or in a central control room.

The control unit 46 includes, for example, a computer, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller, or a logic circuit.

The alarm device 47 is, for example, an alarm speaker, an alarm light, a segment display, or a dot matrix display.

A suction port of the air conditioner 41 communicates with the outdoors through an intake duct 51. A circulation duct 52 branches from the intake duct 51 in the middle of the intake duct 51, and the circulation duct 52 is connected to the outlet of the air filter 42. An exhaust duct 53 branches off in the middle of the circulation duct 52 and is connected to an exhaust fan 43 . The direction switch 45 includes a damper 45a for the circulation path and a damper 45b for the exhaust path. The damper 45a is provided in the circulation duct 52 at an intermediate portion between the branching part of the exhaust duct 53 and the joining part of the intake duct 51. The damper 45b is provided in the middle of the exhaust duct 53.

An exhaust port 56 is provided in the wall panel 23 facing the underfloor space 33. The exhaust port 56 is connected to one end of the circulation duct 55, and the other end of the circulation duct 55 is connected to the suction port of the air filter 42. The air filter 42 filters the air flowing into the air filter 42 from the underfloor space 33 through the exhaust port 56 and the circulation duct 55, and captures dust in the air and absorbs gaseous chemicals in the air. be. The performance of the air filter 42 is not sufficient to remove highly concentrated gaseous chemicals. The air from which dust and gaseous chemicals have been removed by the air filter 42 is blown out toward the circulation duct 52 .

The exhaust fan 43 sucks air from the exhaust port 56 through the air filter 42 and the damper 45b of the direction switch 45, and discharges the sucked air outdoors. The exhaust fan 43 is turned on and off by the control unit 46. The exhaust fan 43 normally stops and operates in an emergency. Normal times and emergency times will be detailed later.

The air conditioner 41 sucks air from the exhaust port 56 through the air filter 42 and the damper 45a of the direction switch 45, and also sucks air from outside. Then, the air conditioner 41 blows out the sucked air into the above-floor space 32 of the laboratory 31. Air is blown by the air conditioner 41 and circulates through the above-floor space 32, the under-floor space 33, the air filter 42, the damper 45a, and the air conditioner 41 in order. During heating, the air conditioner 41 heats the sucked air through heat exchange. During cooling, the air conditioner 41 cools the sucked air through heat exchange. The air conditioner 41 is turned on and off by the control unit 46. As will be described later, the air conditioner 41 operates normally and stops in an emergency.

The dampers 45a, 45b of the direction changer 45 are pressure operated or electrically operated.
When the dampers 45a and 45b are pressure-operated, when the air conditioner 41 is activated and the exhaust fan 43 is stopped, the damper 45a opens due to the pressure difference between its upstream and downstream sides, and the damper 45b opens due to the pressure difference between its upstream and downstream sides. Closes due to pressure difference. Therefore, the air filter 42 and the air conditioner 41 communicate with each other, and the air filter 42 and the exhaust fan 43 are cut off. Conversely, when the air conditioner 41 is stopped and the exhaust fan 43 is activated, the damper 45a closes due to the pressure difference between its upstream and downstream sides, and the damper 45b opens due to the pressure difference between its upstream and downstream sides. Therefore, the air filter 42 and the air conditioner 41 are cut off, and the air filter 42 and the exhaust fan 43 are communicated with each other.
When the dampers 45a and 45b are electrically operated, the dampers 45a and 45b of the direction switch 45 are opened and closed under the control of the control unit 46, thereby switching the direction in which the air flows.
As will be described later, the direction switch 45 allows the air filter 42 and the air conditioner 41 to communicate with each other during normal times, and allows the air filter 42 and the exhaust fan 43 to communicate with each other during emergencies.

The damper 44 is an electric type or a chuck damper. When the damper 44 is electrically operated, the damper 44 is opened and closed under the control of the control unit 46 . When the damper 44 is a check damper, when the atmospheric pressure in the laboratory 31 is lower than the outdoor atmospheric pressure, the damper 44 opens to allow air to flow from the outdoors to the laboratory 31, and the atmospheric pressure in the laboratory 31 is lower than the outdoor atmospheric pressure. When the air pressure is higher than , the damper 44 closes to prevent the flow of air from the outdoors to the laboratory 31. The damper 44 is normally closed as described below, but is opened in an emergency.

The ventilation fan 61 is installed at the periphery of the underfloor space 33 toward the center of the underfloor space 33 . Alternatively, the blower fan 61 is installed at a position facing the wall panel 23 or toward the exhaust port 56 . The blower fan 61 is turned on and off by the control unit 46. As will be described later, the blower fan 61 operates normally and stops in an emergency.

Gas sensor 62 is provided near exhaust port 56 . The gas sensor 62 is capable of detecting gas produced by vaporizing a liquid drug used in the above-floor space 32, and is selected depending on the type of drug that may be used in the laboratory 31. The gas sensor 62 is connected to the control section 46, and the output signal of the gas sensor 62 is input to the control section 46. Here, the gas sensor 62 outputs an on signal to the control section 46 when gas is detected, and outputs an off signal to the control section 46 when no gas is detected.

The human sensors 63 are distributed over a wide range of the above-floor space 32, and the entire above-floor space 32 falls within the detection range of these human sensors 63. The human sensor 63 detects the location of a person. The human sensor 63 is connected to the control section 46, and the output signal of the human sensor 63 is input to the control section 46. Here, the human sensor 63 outputs an ON signal to the control section 46 when the presence of a person is detected, and outputs an OFF signal to the control section 46 when the presence of a person is not detected.

[2. Operation of air conditioning system]
The operation of the air conditioning system will be explained below.

[2-1. Normal time〕
When a worker turns on the remote control of the air conditioner 41 to use the laboratory 31, an on signal is input from the remote control to the control unit 46. Then, the control unit 46 operates the air conditioner 41. Further, if the damper 44 is electric, the control unit 46 closes the damper 44. When the dampers 45a and 45b of the direction switch 45 are electrically operated, the control unit 46 opens the damper 45a and closes the damper 45b. When the dampers 45a and 45b are pressure-operated, when the air conditioner 41 is activated and the exhaust fan 43 is stopped, the damper 45a opens and the damper 45b closes.

Therefore, air is blown into the above-floor space 32 by the air conditioner 41, and the air flows and circulates in the above-floor space 32, the under-floor space 33, the air filter 42, the damper 45a, and the air conditioner 41 in this order. During air circulation, the blower fan 61 and exhaust fan 43 are stopped. Further, when each gas sensor 62 outputs an off signal, the control unit 46 monitors the output signal of each gas sensor 62 and determines whether the output signal is on or off. Note that the threshold value of the gas sensor 62 is set so that the gas sensor 62 does not detect gaseous medicine to the extent that the medicine in the container is not overflowing.

[2-2. Emergency]
(1) Detection of gaseous medicine When an operator is conducting an experiment in the laboratory 31, a liquid medicine may be accidentally spilled onto the grating floor 24. In such a case, the drug passes through the small holes in the grating floor 24 and drips into the underfloor space 33. When the drug in the underfloor space 33 is vaporized, the gaseous drug is detected by one of the gas sensors 62, and an on signal is output from the gas sensor 62 to the control unit 46.

(2) Stopping circulation and starting ventilation and alarm When the control unit 46 recognizes the input of an ON signal from any gas sensor 62, it stops the air conditioner 41 and activates the exhaust fan 43 and alarm 47. Further, if the damper 44 is electric, the control section 46 opens the damper 44. When the dampers 45a and 45b of the direction switch 45 are electrically operated, the control unit 46 closes the damper 45a and opens the damper 45b. When the dampers 45a and 45b are of the pressure-operated type, when the air conditioner 41 is stopped and the exhaust fan 43 is activated, the damper 45a opens and the damper 45b closes.
Therefore, the air in the above-floor space 32 flows in order to the under-floor space 33, the air filter 42, the damper 45b, and the exhaust fan 43, and is discharged outdoors. Thereby, the laboratory room 31 is ventilated, and an increase in the drug concentration in the air in the laboratory room 31 is suppressed. Therefore, no harm is caused by the drug and it is safe for people in the laboratory 31.

Further, when the alarm device 47 is activated, a sound, light, or video alarm is issued by the alarm device 47. Since there are people in the laboratory 31 immediately after the alarm, each human sensor 63 outputs an OFF signal, but the control unit 46 monitors the output signals of each human sensor 63 and turns these output signals on and off. Determine off.

(3) Exit Detection When a person in the above-floor space 32 notices the alarm, he/she exits from the above-floor space 32 to the outside. When no one is present in the above-floor space 32, all the human sensors 63 no longer detect the presence of humans, and off signals are output from these human sensors 63 to the control unit 46.

(4) Promotion of vaporization When the control unit 46 recognizes the input of off signals from all human sensors 63, it operates the blower fan 61. Then, air is blown onto the overflowing liquid medicine, promoting vaporization of the medicine.

(5) Non-detection of gaseous medicine After the blower fan 61 is activated, the control unit 46 monitors the output signals of each gas sensor 62 and determines whether these output signals are on or off. Here, immediately after the blower fan 61 starts operating, a gaseous drug is detected by one of the gas sensors 62, and an on signal is output from the gas sensor 62 to the control unit 46. Therefore, the control unit 46 continues to operate the blower fan 61.

As time passes from the time when the blower fan 61 starts operating, almost all of the overflowing medicine vaporizes. In this case, the gaseous drug is not detected by any of the gas sensors 62, and off signals are output from all the gas sensors 62 to the control unit 46.

(6) Resuming circulation and stopping ventilation and alarm When the control unit 46 recognizes the input of off signals from all the gas sensors 62, it operates the air conditioner 41 and stops the exhaust fan 43 and alarm 47. Further, if the damper 44 is electric, the control unit 46 closes the damper 44. When the dampers 45a and 45b of the direction switch 45 are electrically operated, the control unit 46 opens the damper 45a and closes the damper 45b. When the dampers 45a and 45b are pressure-operated, when the air conditioner 41 is activated and the exhaust fan 43 is stopped, the damper 45a opens and the damper 45b closes.

Therefore, air is blown into the above-floor space 32 by the air conditioner 41, and the air flows and circulates in the above-floor space 32, the under-floor space 33, the air filter 42, the damper 45a, and the air conditioner 41 in this order.

[3. Advantageous effect]
(1) If the drug concentration in the air in the laboratory 31 accidentally increases, the alarm 47 is activated to alert the workers in the laboratory 31. The operator recognizes the danger from the alarm and leaves the laboratory 31. Thus, the risk of drug exposure is reduced.

(2) If the drug concentration in the air in the laboratory 31 accidentally increases, the air conditioner 41 will stop, and therefore the circulation of the air in the laboratory 31 will stop. Furthermore, the exhaust fan 43 is operated to exchange the air in the laboratory room 31. Therefore, further increase in drug concentration within the laboratory 31 can be suppressed. Thus, the risk of drug exposure is reduced.

(3) If the drug concentration in the air in the laboratory 31 accidentally increases, the blower fan 61 is activated. Therefore, vaporization of the overflowing liquid drug is promoted. Therefore, the overflowing liquid drug is quickly removed, and the drug concentration in the air in the laboratory 31 is quickly reduced. Therefore, the laboratory 31 can be reused at an early stage.

(4) The blower fan 61 operates when there is no one in the laboratory 31. Therefore, even if the concentration of the drug in the laboratory 31 increases due to vaporization of the liquid drug, it will not harm the operator.

(5) No matter where in the laboratory 31 the drug is vaporized, the gas sensor 62 is provided near the exhaust port 56, so the gaseous drug and its concentration can be accurately detected by the gas sensor 62. Ru.

[4. Modified example]
In the above embodiment, the floor that partitions the above-floor space 32 and the under-floor space 33 is the grating floor 24, but as shown in FIG. 2, it may be a normal floor 24A that does not allow liquid medicine to pass through. In this case, the ventilation fan 61 is provided in the above-floor space 32 near the floor 24A. Further, the exhaust port 56 is provided in the wall panel 23 near the floor 24A and facing the above-floor space 32. Further, the gas sensor 62 is provided in the above-floor space 32 near the exhaust port 56 .

In the embodiment described above, the air conditioning system air-conditions the laboratory room 31. On the other hand, a clean room may be air-conditioned instead of the laboratory 31. In that case, in the description of the above embodiment, "laboratory 31" shall be read as "clean room".

An air filter may be provided between the damper 45b and the exhaust fan 43 to absorb gaseous chemicals in the air.

We verified that vaporization of the drug was promoted by blowing air onto the liquid drug using a blower fan.

Specifically, outdoor air is brought into the laboratory through an air supply vent, and air is exhausted outdoors through an exhaust vent installed on the wall opposite the air supply vent, thereby ventilating the laboratory. The drug concentration in the laboratory air was measured by a gas sensor. The frequency of ventilation is 6.5 times per hour. Room temperature was 25°C and humidity was 60%. The drug is ethanol. The gas sensor is installed near the exhaust port.

When air is blown onto the liquid drug by a blower fan, the change in drug concentration in the air in the laboratory is shown by the black line in FIG. When air is not blown onto the liquid drug, the change in drug concentration in the air in the laboratory is shown by the gray line in FIG.

As is clear from FIG. 3, when air is not blown onto the liquid drug, the drug concentration in the air in the laboratory remains almost constant and does not decrease even after a long period of time. On the other hand, it can be seen that when air is blown onto a liquid drug, the drug concentration increases, but after a certain period of time, the drug concentration decreases to zero.

24... Grating floor 24A... Floor 31... Laboratory 32... Above floor space 33... Under floor space 41... Air conditioner 43... Exhaust fan 44... Damper 45... Direction switch 46... Control unit 47... Alarm device 56... Exhaust port 61... Air blower Fan 62... Gas sensor 63... Human sensor

Claims (6)

an air conditioner that sucks air from an exhaust port of a laboratory or clean room and outdoors and blows the sucked air into the laboratory or clean room;
an exhaust fan that sucks air from the exhaust port and exhausts the sucked air to the outdoors;
Provided between the air conditioner and the exhaust fan and the exhaust port, the air conditioner communicates with the air conditioner when the air conditioner is in operation and the exhaust fan is stopped, and the exhaust port and the exhaust fan communicate with each other. a directional switch that blocks the air conditioner and the air conditioner and communicates the exhaust port and the exhaust fan when the air conditioner is stopped and the exhaust fan is activated;
a gas sensor that is provided near the exhaust port and detects a gaseous drug;
a blower fan installed at the bottom of the laboratory or the clean room;
When the gaseous drug is not detected by the gas sensor, the air conditioner is operated and the exhaust fan and the ventilation fan are stopped; and when the gaseous drug is detected by the gas sensor, the air conditioner is operated. An air conditioning system comprising: a control unit that stops the exhaust fan and the blower fan and operates the exhaust fan and the blower fan. Further comprising an alarm installed in the laboratory or the clean room,
When the gaseous drug is not detected by the gas sensor, the control unit stops the alarm, and when the gaseous drug is detected by the gas sensor, the control unit activates the alarm. The air conditioning system according to claim 1. Further comprising a human sensor installed in the laboratory or the clean room to detect the location of a person in the laboratory or the clean room,
The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit operates the blower fan when the presence of a person is not detected by the human sensor in addition to the gaseous drug being detected by the gas sensor. system. 4. The laboratory or the clean room is vertically divided by a grating floor having a large number of holes, and the blower fan and the gas sensor are provided in a space below the grating floor. Air conditioning system as described in. The laboratory or the clean room is vertically divided by a grating floor having a large number of holes, the blower fan and the gas sensor are installed in the space below the grating floor, and the human sensor is installed in the space above the grating floor. The air conditioning system according to claim 3, which is provided in a space. A claim further comprising a damper provided on an outer wall separating the laboratory or the clean room from the outdoors, which closes when the air conditioner is activated and the exhaust fan is stopped, and opens when the air conditioner is stopped and the exhaust fan is activated. The air conditioning system according to any one of Items 1 to 5.

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