JP7481230B2 - Heat Treatment Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heat treatment device for heat treating a web.

Heat treatment devices are used to apply a coating liquid to a long web such as a film, metal foil, paper, or fabric, and then dry the coating liquid or to expand the width of the web with heat. In this type of heat treatment device, for example, the web is brought horizontally into a heat treatment chamber that has thermal insulation, and hot air is blown onto the web from multiple nozzles arranged above it to heat-treat the web.

JP 2013-254595 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-109526

In the above-mentioned heat treatment device, the temperature of the hot air blown out of the nozzle is controlled by the heater, but there is a problem in that the humidity is not controlled.

In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a heat treatment device that can control the humidity inside the heat treatment chamber.

The present invention relates to a heat treatment chamber having thermal insulation properties, an inlet opening at the front of the heat treatment chamber and through which a traveling web is brought in, an outlet opening at the rear of the heat treatment chamber and through which the web is brought out, a plurality of nozzles disposed above a transport path of the web within the heat treatment chamber and blowing hot air onto the web, a cooling section for cooling air supplied from the outside, a heater for heating the air cooled by the cooling section, a blower for sending the air heated by the heater to the plurality of nozzles, a control section for calculating an indoor humidity Φin within the heat treatment chamber and, when the calculated indoor humidity Φin is higher than a preset reference humidity, increasing the cooling capacity of the cooling section to lower the indoor humidity , an outside air humidity sensor for measuring an outside air humidity Φout outside the heat treatment chamber, a first temperature sensor for measuring a first temperature T1 of the supplied air, a second temperature sensor for measuring a second temperature T2 of the air cooled by the cooling section, and a third temperature T3 within the heat treatment chamber. and a third temperature sensor that measures a(T2), and the control unit calculates a first saturated water vapor amount a(T1) of the outside air from the first temperature T1, calculates a second saturated water vapor amount a(T2) of the air that has passed through the cooling unit from the second temperature T2, calculates a third saturated water vapor amount a(T3) of the air in the heat treatment chamber from the third temperature T3, and calculates a water vapor amount M(T1) at the first temperature T1 from the outside air humidity Φout and the first temperature T1, and when M(T1)>a(T2), when M(T1)<=a(T2), it is determined that condensation is occurring within the cooling section, and when M(T1)<=a(T2), it is determined that condensation is not occurring within the cooling section, and when the air supplied into the cooling section is condensed, it calculates the indoor humidity Φin from the second temperature T2 and the third temperature T3, and when the air supplied into the cooling section is not condensed, it calculates the indoor humidity Φin from the outside air humidity Φout, the first temperature T1, and the third temperature T3 .

According to the present invention, when the calculated indoor humidity in the heat treatment chamber is higher than the reference humidity, the air cooling capacity of the cooling unit is increased to lower the indoor humidity.

1 is an explanatory diagram of a heat treatment apparatus showing one embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling the relative humidity in a heat treatment chamber of a heat treatment apparatus.

A heat treatment device 10 for a web W according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The web W that is heat-treated by the heat treatment device 10 according to this embodiment is, for example, a film, a metal foil, paper, or a fabric.

(1) Structure of Heat Treatment Apparatus 10 Next, the structure of the heat treatment apparatus 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The heat treatment apparatus 10 has a heat treatment chamber 12 having thermal insulation for performing heat treatment of the web W. This heat treatment chamber 12 is substantially a rectangular parallelepiped, with an outlet 14 for the web W opening at the front and an inlet 16 for the web W opening at the rear.

In the heat treatment chamber 12, a duct 18 extends in the front-to-rear direction above the horizontal transport path of the web W from the entrance 16 to the exit 14. Nozzles 20 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-to-rear direction on the underside of this duct 18. These nozzles 20 extend in the width direction of the web W, and at their lower ends, slit-shaped hot air outlets 22 open in the width direction of the web W. Hot air is blown out from the outlets 22 of these multiple nozzles 20 onto the web W traveling on the transport path.

Metallic running rolls 24 are rotatably arranged at a specified interval below the transport path. These running rolls 24 support the running web W while rotating.

Outside the heat treatment chamber 12, there is an air intake 26 that supplies air from the outside, and a blower 28 that blows the air supplied from the air intake 26 to a HEPA filter 30. The term "HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter) 30" refers to an air filter that has a particle collection rate of 99.97% or more for particles with a particle size of 0.3 μm at the rated air volume, and has an initial pressure loss of 245 Pa or less.

Outside the heat treatment chamber 12, one end of a first connection pipe 32 is connected to the air outlet of the HEPA filter 30, and the other end of the first connection pipe 32 is connected to a radiator 34, which is a cooling unit. The radiator 34 cools the air sent from the HEPA filter 30, causing condensation and drying the supplied air. One end of a second connection pipe 36 is connected to the outlet of the radiator 34, and the other end of the second connection pipe 36 is connected to the inlet of a fan (blower) 38. A heater 40 that heats the air to a predetermined temperature is connected to the outlet of the fan 38. The air heated by the heater 40 is sent to a duct 18 inside the heat treatment chamber 12. The heated air sent to the duct 18 is blown out as hot air from multiple nozzles 20.

A chiller unit 42 and an adjustment valve 46 are provided to control the cooling capacity of the radiator 34. The chiller unit 42 cools water and supplies it to the radiator 34 as cooling water. The cooling water that has cooled the radiator 34 returns to the chiller unit 42 and is drained. A water distribution pipe 44 through which the cooling water flows is provided between the chiller unit 42 and the radiator 34, and an adjustment valve 46 that adjusts the flow rate of the cooling water is provided midway along the water distribution pipe 44. By adjusting this adjustment valve 46, the flow rate of the cooling water sent to the radiator 34 is adjusted, and the cooling capacity of the radiator 34 is controlled. In other words, if the flow rate of the cooling water is reduced by the adjustment valve 46, the cooling capacity of the radiator 34 decreases, and conversely, if the flow rate of the cooling water is increased, the cooling capacity of the radiator 34 increases.

An exhaust port 56 is provided on the ceiling surface or side surface near the outlet 14 of the heat treatment chamber 12, and one end of an exhaust pipe 58 is connected to this exhaust port 56, and an exhaust blower 60 is provided at the other end of this exhaust pipe 58.

An outside air humidity sensor 48 is provided near the air intake 26 to measure the relative humidity of the outside air (hereinafter referred to as "outside air humidity") Φout.

The first connecting pipe 32 that connects the HEPA filter 30 and the radiator 34 is provided with a first temperature sensor 50 that measures a first temperature T1, which is the temperature of the air flowing through the first connecting pipe 32.

A second temperature sensor 52 is provided on the second connection pipe 36 that connects the radiator 34 and the fan 38 of the heater 40 to measure a second temperature T2, which is the temperature of the air cooled by the radiator 34.

Inside the heat treatment chamber 12, in the duct 18 near the inlet 16, a third temperature sensor 54 is provided to measure a third temperature T3, which is the temperature inside the heat treatment chamber 12.

The control unit 62 of the heat treatment device 10, which is composed of a computer or the like, is connected to the air supply blower 28, the fan 38, the heater 40, the chiller unit 42, the adjustment valve 46, the exhaust blower 60, the outside air humidity sensor 48, the first temperature sensor 50, the second temperature sensor 52, and the third temperature sensor 54.

(2) Method for Calculating Relative Humidity Φin Inside Heat Treatment Chamber 12 First, a method for indirectly calculating the relative humidity Φin inside the heat treatment chamber 12 (hereinafter referred to as "indoor humidity") rather than directly measuring it will be described.

The amount of saturated water vapor a(T1) [g/m ³ ] of the outside air at a first temperature T1 [° C.] is expressed as follows:

a(T1)=217*e(T1)/(T1+273.15) ... (1)

Here, e(T1) [hPa] is the saturated water vapor pressure in air, and e(T1) is approximately calculated from the formula of August et al. using the parameter values of Tetens (1930), as follows:

e(T1)=6.1078*10 ^{{7.5*T1/(T1+237.3)}} ...(2)

If the outside air humidity is Φout [% RH], the amount of water vapor in the outside air M (T1) is calculated as follows:

M(T1)=Φout*a(T1)/100 (3)

It becomes.

If the temperature of the air cooled by the radiator 34 is a second temperature T2 [° C.], the amount of saturated water vapor a(T2) [g/m ³ ] at the second temperature T2 [° C.] is given by:

a(T2)=217*e(T2)/(T2+273.15) ... (4)

However,

e(T2)=6.1078*10 ^{{7.5*T2/(T2+237.3)}} (5)

It is.

If M(T1)>a(T2), condensation occurs in the radiator 34. The amount of condensation ΔM at that time is given by:

ΔM=M(T1)−a(T2) (6)

On the other hand, if M(T1)<=a(T2), no condensation has occurred on the radiator 34. The amount of condensation ΔM in this case is given by

ΔM=0 (7)

It is.

The amount of water vapor in the cooled air after passing through the radiator 34, M(T2), is

M(T2)=M(T1)−ΔM (8)

This cooled air is heated by the heater 40. If the temperature of the heated air in the heat treatment chamber 12 is a third temperature T3, the amount of saturated water vapor a(T3) [g/m ³ ] at the third temperature T3 [° C.] is given by

a(T3)=217*e(T3)/(T3+273.15) ... (9)

However,

e(T3)=6.1078*10 ^{{7.5*T3/(T3+237.3)}} ...(10)

From the above, the indoor humidity Φin [% RH] of the air in the heat treatment chamber 12 is

Φin={M(T2)/a(T3)}*100 (11)

It becomes.

Therefore, to calculate the indoor humidity Φin [% RH] in the heat treatment chamber 12, first check whether condensation is occurring on the radiator 34 using equations (6) and (7).

Next, when condensation occurs on the radiator 34, substituting equation (6) into equation (8) gives M(T2)=a(T2), and substituting this relational expression into equation (11), gives

Φin={a(T2)/a(T3)}*100 (12)

From this formula (12), when condensation is occurring, the indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 can be calculated from the second temperature T2 and the third temperature T3.

Next, when no condensation is formed on the radiator 34, substituting equation (7) into equation (8) gives M(T2)=M(T1), and substituting this relational expression into equation (11) gives

Φin={M(T1)/a(T3)}*100 (13)

Substituting equation (3) into equation (13), we get

Φin={Φout*a(T1)/100/a(T3)}*100 (14)

From this formula (14), when no condensation is occurring, the indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 can be calculated from the outdoor air humidity Φout, the first temperature T1, and the third temperature T3.

(3) Method for controlling indoor humidity Φin in heat treatment chamber 12 Next, a method for the control unit 62 to control the indoor humidity Φin using the above-mentioned method for indirectly calculating the indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Figure 2.

In step S1, the control unit 62 heats the inside of the heat treatment chamber 12. In this case, air heated by the heater 40 is sent to the duct 18 by the fan 38, and hot air is blown out from the multiple nozzles 20, heating the inside of the heat treatment chamber 12 to a predetermined temperature. Then, proceed to step S2.

In step S2, the web W is conveyed through the entrance 16 at a predetermined speed V and conveyed out through the exit 14. Then the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, the control unit 62 measures the first temperature T1 using the first temperature sensor 50, the second temperature T2 using the second temperature sensor 52, the third temperature T3 using the third temperature sensor 54, and the outside air humidity Φout using the outside air humidity sensor 48. Then, the process proceeds to step S4.

In step S4, the control unit 62 calculates e(T1), a(T1), and M(T1) using equations (1) to (3), calculates e(T2) and a(T2) using equations (4) to (5), and calculates e(T3) and a(T3) using equations (9) to (10). Then, the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, if M(T1)>a(T2), the control unit 62 determines that condensation has occurred in the radiator 34 and proceeds to step S6 (in the case of y), and if M(T1)<=a(T2), it determines that condensation has not occurred in the radiator 34 and proceeds to step S7 (in the case of n).

In step S6, because condensation has occurred in the radiator 34, the control unit 62 calculates the indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 from equation (12) using the second temperature T2 and the third temperature T3. Then, the process proceeds to step S8.

In step S7, since condensation is not occurring on the radiator 34, the control unit 62 calculates the indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 from the outside air humidity Φout, the first temperature T1, and the third temperature T3 using equation (14). Then, the process proceeds to step S8.

In step S8, if the calculated indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 is lower than the reference humidity Φ0, proceed to step S9 (if < 0); if it is the same, proceed to step S10 (if = 0); if it is higher, proceed to step S11 (if > 0).

In step S9, since the indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 is lower than the reference humidity Φ0, the control unit 62 uses the adjustment valve 46 to reduce the flow rate of the cooling water sent to the radiator 34 to reduce the cooling capacity, or stops the flow of the cooling water to stop the cooling capacity of the radiator 34, raises the temperature inside the radiator 34 to reduce the amount of condensation, and raises the humidity of the air. Then, proceed to step S12.

In step S10, since the indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 is equal to the reference humidity Φ0, the control unit 62 maintains the flow rate of the cooling water sent to the radiator 34 and proceeds to step S12.

In step S11, since the indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 is higher than the reference humidity Φ0, the control unit 62 uses the adjustment valve 46 to increase the flow rate of the cooling water sent to the radiator 34, increasing the cooling capacity, lowering the temperature in the radiator 34, increasing the amount of condensation, and lowering the humidity of the air. Then, proceed to step S12.

In step S12, the indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 has become equal to the reference humidity Φ0 due to the adjustment of the cooling water flow rate, so if the introduction of the web W is stopped, the process ends (if y), and if the introduction continues, the process returns to step S3 (if n).

(4) Effects According to this embodiment, the indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 can be indirectly calculated from the outside air humidity Φout, the first temperature T1, the second temperature T2, and the third temperature T3, without directly measuring the indoor humidity in the heat treatment chamber 12. If the indirectly calculated indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 is lower than the reference humidity Φ0, the flow rate of the cooling water sent to the radiator 34 is reduced to increase the humidity, if the humidity is the same as the reference humidity, the flow rate of the cooling water is maintained, and if the humidity is higher than the reference humidity Φ0, the flow rate of the cooling water is increased to decrease the air humidity, thereby making it possible to always maintain the indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber 12 at the reference humidity Φ0.

The control unit 62 can easily adjust the humidity of the air by simply adjusting the flow rate of the cooling water sent to the radiator 34 using the regulating valve 46.

Example of changes

In the above embodiment, the radiator 34, which is the cooling unit, is water-cooled using cooling water, but it may be air-cooled or may be a cooling device other than a radiator.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the web W is supported by multiple running rolls 24 and made to run, but in addition to this, multiple nozzles may be provided below the transport path and hot air may be blown from above and below to make the web W run in a floating state on the transport path.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and essence of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

10: Heat treatment device, 12: Heat treatment chamber, 14: Outlet, 16: Inlet, 18: Duct, 20: Nozzle, 26: Air inlet, 34: Radiator, 38: Fan, 40: Heater, 42: Chiller unit, 46: Adjustment valve, 48: Outside air humidity sensor, 50: First temperature sensor, 52: Second temperature sensor, 54: Third temperature sensor, 62: Control unit

Claims (7)

A heat treatment chamber having thermal insulation properties;
an entrance opening at a front surface of the heat treatment chamber and through which a traveling web is carried in;
an outlet opening at a rear surface of the heat treatment chamber and through which the web is discharged;
a plurality of nozzles disposed above a transport path of the web within the heat treatment chamber and configured to blow hot air onto the web;
A cooling unit that cools air supplied from the outside;
a heater that heats the air cooled by the cooling unit; and
a blower that sends the air heated by the heater to the plurality of nozzles;
a control unit that calculates an indoor humidity Φin in the heat treatment chamber, and when the calculated indoor humidity Φin is higher than a preset reference humidity, increases the cooling capacity of the cooling unit to decrease the indoor humidity;
an outside air humidity sensor for measuring an outside air humidity Φout outside the heat treatment chamber;
a first temperature sensor for measuring a first temperature T1 of the supplied air;
a second temperature sensor for measuring a second temperature T2 of the air cooled by the cooling unit;
a third temperature sensor for measuring a third temperature T3 in the heat treatment chamber;
having
The control unit is
Calculating a first saturated water vapor amount a(T1) of the outside air from the first temperature T1;
Calculating a second saturated water vapor amount a(T2) of the air that has passed through the cooling section from the second temperature T2;
Calculating a third saturated water vapor amount a(T3) of the air in the heat treatment chamber from the third temperature T3;
Calculating an amount of water vapor M(T1) at the first temperature T1 from the outside air humidity Φout and the first temperature T1;
When M(T1)>a(T2), it is determined that condensation is occurring in the cooling unit,
When M(T1)<=a(T2), it is determined that no condensation has occurred in the cooling unit,
When the air supplied to the cooling unit is condensed, the indoor humidity Φin is calculated from the second temperature T2 and the third temperature T3,
When the air supplied to the cooling unit is not condensed, the indoor humidity Φin is calculated from the outdoor humidity Φout, the first temperature T1, and the third temperature T3.
Heat treatment equipment. When condensation occurs, the control unit
Φin = {a(T2) / a(T3)} * 100
Calculate the indoor humidity Φin from
The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 . When condensation is not occurring, the control unit
Φin = {Φout * a(T1) / 100 / a(T3)} * 100
Calculate the indoor humidity Φin from
The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 . The control unit is
When the indoor humidity is lower than the reference humidity, the cooling capacity of the cooling unit is reduced or stopped to increase the indoor humidity.
The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 . The third temperature sensor is provided on the inlet side of the heat treatment chamber.
The heat treatment device according to claim 1 . The cooling unit cools the air with cooling water.
The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 . A plurality of running rolls along which the web runs are arranged below the transport path.
The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 .

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