JPH07269915A - Humidifying unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent mist or white powder from precipitating without retrogradation of the efficiency of a moisture-permeable film by providing a humidifier film comprising a hydrophilic material which can absorb water for humidification, let it migrate, and release it and a hydrophobic porous film which covers the hydrophilic material. CONSTITUTION:A hydrophilic material 3 absorbs water 11 for humidification by capillarity and draws it to a required height. Besides this function, this material functions to let water 11 for humidification migrate and supply it to all parts of the inner sides of a hydrophobic porous film 4. When the humidifier is operated, the hydrophilic material 3 absorbs water and the water which has migrated to the surfaces of the material volatilizes as steam from the surfaces of the hydrophobic porous film 4. For the portion of water having passed off as steam, the humidifier sucks up a new supply of water and lets it migrate, thus functioning to keep itself impregnated to a constant degree. The hydrophobic porous film 4 is permeable to steam and impermeable to water. For this purpose use can be made of a continuous porous material obtained from a synthetic resin.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a humidifying unit which can be used for both commercial and household purposes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In many cases, a humidifying unit is provided at the dry air outlet of an air conditioner or the like. Various types of units have been proposed for this type of unit, but as a typical conventional unit, (i) as shown in FIG.
A plurality of vertically or horizontally long hydrophilic materials 80 are arranged, the water 11 in the water tank 1 is absorbed into the hydrophilic materials 80, and dry air is passed between the absorbed hydrophilic materials to humidify the water (for example, actual development 5).
No. 5-26390), (ii) As shown in FIG. 4, a long bag-shaped moisture permeable membrane 90 is spirally wound, and water is passed between the bag-shaped moisture permeable membrane in which water 11 is passed. For example, the air may be humidified with water vapor that is emitted from the film surface through air (for example, JP-A-60-171337). Although not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hydrophilic material 80
It is usual that a gap forming material (spacer) is provided between each other and between the wound bag-shaped moisture transfer membranes 90.

However, in the humidifying unit mentioned in (i),
Water becomes a mist and mixes in the humidified air, which wets the inside of the duct or drops into the room as water droplets. In addition, when the humidifying unit is in a dry state (when it is not used for a long time in the off season, when water is not supplied to the hydrophilic material 80, when the operation is suspended for household use, etc.), it is hydrophilic. There is an inconvenience that salts (Ca, Mg, etc.) in water are deposited as white powder on the surface of the material 80, and the white powder is scattered around the humidifying unit when the humidifying operation is restarted.

On the other hand, in the humidifying unit mentioned in (ii),
Since water is injected up to the inner tip of the long bag-shaped moisture permeable membrane 90, it is necessary to consider the water pressure inside the bag-shaped moisture permeable membrane 90. Therefore, a reinforcing material (woven cloth, Non-woven fabric,
A cloth such as a knitted cloth) is adhered to the entire surface to increase the strength of the bag-shaped moisture permeable membrane to a certain level or more. By adhering this reinforcing material to the surface, there are disadvantages that the moisture permeability of the bag-shaped moisture permeable membrane is reduced by about several tens of percent and the required membrane area calculated from the amount of humidification must be increased.

[0005]

As a solution to the drawbacks of the conventional humidifying unit, "a pair of porous sheets having water vapor permeability are opposed to each other, and a corrugated plate-shaped spacer is provided between the pair of porous sheets. A water passage is formed by forming a water passage having a flow path in the vertical direction through, and a plurality of this water passage units are arranged side by side while holding a ventilation gap with the porous sheets facing each other. A humidifying device in which the upper end of the water passage of each water passing unit is sealed and the lower end of the water passage of each water passing unit is connected to a series of water supply and drainage passages. ”(Actual Kaihei 1-102637) ). According to this humidifying device, the drawbacks of the conventional humidifying unit are largely solved, but since the water passage is formed by the spacer and the porous sheet, the porous sheet still requires considerable strength. I cannot help avoiding it.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a humidifying unit which does not cause deposition of mist or white powder without deteriorating the membrane performance of the moisture permeable membrane and which performs clean humidification.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of many studies and studies on a humidifier, the present inventor has made a hydrophilic material capable of absorbing, migrating and releasing water absorb water,
If the dry air is humidified by letting out water vapor into the air through the hydrophobic porous membrane installed so as to wrap the hydrophilic material on the outside, it is a very good humidification method unlike the conventional one. It was found that the result was obtained.
The present invention has been made on the basis thereof.

One of the humidifying units of the present invention comprises a hydrophilic material capable of absorbing, moving and releasing water for humidification, and a hydrophobic porous membrane covering the hydrophilic material. It is characterized by having a humidifying film. Another one of the humidifying units of the present invention is a humidifying device comprising a hydrophilic material capable of absorbing, moving, and releasing water for humidification, and a hydrophobic porous membrane covering the hydrophilic material. And a water holding container for supplying water to the hydrophilic material. Yet another one of the humidifying units of the present invention is a humidifying unit comprising a hydrophilic material capable of absorbing, moving and releasing water for humidification and a hydrophobic porous membrane covering the hydrophilic material. It is characterized in that it has a membrane for use, a water holding container for supplying water to the hydrophilic material, and a blowing mechanism for blowing air to the humidifying membrane.

These humidifying units of the present invention can be variously modified while leaving their basic skeleton. For example, (a) and (b) below. (A) A long hydrophilic material and a hydrophobic porous membrane coated with the long hydrophilic material excluding the end portion in the longitudinal direction are bent in the longitudinal direction to form a substantially U-shaped humidifying membrane. Has been done,
A plurality of the inverted U-shaped humidifying membranes arranged side by side at intervals necessary for ventilation. (B) A plurality of vertically or horizontally long humidifying membranes, which are composed of a hydrophilic material and a hydrophobic porous membrane coated with the hydrophilic material excluding the lower end portion, are arranged in parallel at intervals necessary for ventilation. thing.

The present invention will be described in more detail below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a humidifying unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is an enlarged perspective view for explaining the main part, and FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along the line BB ′ of FIG. 2A. In the figure, 1 is a tank (water holding container), 2 is a water injection port into the tank 1, and 3 is a hydrophilic material capable of absorbing, moving and releasing water (hereinafter referred to as “hydrophilic material”). 4 is a hydrophobic porous membrane, 5 is a humidifying membrane in which the hydrophilic material 3 is coated with the hydrophobic porous membrane 4, 6 is a separator, 7
Represents the case.

The hydrophilic material 3 in the present invention has a function of absorbing the humidifying water 11 by the capillary phenomenon and sucking it up to a required height, and also moves and supplies the humidifying water 11 to the entire inner surface of the hydrophobic porous membrane 4. The hydrophilic material absorbs water by the operation of the humidifier, and the water that has moved to the surface of this material is vaporized from the surface of the hydrophobic porous membrane 4 as vapor, but is lost as vapor. It has a function to suck up a certain amount of water and keep it at a constant amount by moving it. Specific examples of the hydrophilic material 4 include those obtained by weaving fibers such as nylon, acryl, diacetate or the like and forming into a non-woven fabric: a hydrophilic agent such as vinyl acetate is adhered to fibers such as polypropylene, polyethylene, etc. Examples include non-woven fabrics.

The thickness of the hydrophilic material 4 is about 1-5 mm, preferably 2-4 mm. If the thickness is less than 1 mm, water absorption and water retention become insufficient, and if it is more than 5 mm, the hydrophobic porous membrane 4 has a small membrane area and the humidification amount becomes insufficient although it depends on the design. The size of the hydrophilic material 3 is not generally specified, but the height is generally 10 to 20.
cm, width 10 to 20 cm.

Further, the hydrophobic porous membrane 4 according to the present invention
Is water vapor permeable and water impermeable.
As such a material, a continuous porous body obtained from a synthetic resin can be used, and examples thereof include a polyolefin resin-based porous film and a fluororesin-based porous film. When a continuous porous body of a polyolefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene is used, a water repellent treatment can be imparted with a fluorine water repellent, a silicone water repellent or the like. As the fluororesin porous material, polytetrafluoroethylene,
Porous materials such as tetrafluoroethylene / hexafluoropropylene copolymer, polyvinyl fluoride, and polyvinylidene fluoride can be used. Among them, a porous film obtained by stretching polytetrafluoroethylene has chemical resistance,
It is preferable because it has excellent heat resistance and pressure resistance. The porous polytetrafluoroethylene film may be a fired product or a non-fired product.

It is also possible to combine a moisture permeable resin with the hydrophobic porous membrane 4. This is due to long-term use
It is meaningful in preventing the hydrophobic porous membrane from being deteriorated by impurities contained in the humidifying water. However, the use of a moisture-permeable resin lowers the amount of water vapor permeation, and thus deteriorates the humidification efficiency, so it should be minimized. As a specific example of the moisture-permeable resin, a polymer having a hydrophilic group such as a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, a sulfonic acid group and an amino group, which is water-swellable and water-insoluble, is preferably used. Examples of such a hydrophilic resin include polyvinyl alcohol at least partially crosslinked, cellulose acetate, hydrophilic polymers such as cellulose nitrate, polyamino acids, polyurethane, hydrophilic fluoropolymers, and the like, but heat resistance, Considering chemical resistance and processability, polyurethane resin and fluorine-based moisture permeable resin are particularly preferable. Further, it is preferable that the compounding (coating, impregnation) is performed inside the hydrophobic porous membrane (on the surface side of the hydrophilic material 3).

The average pore size of the hydrophobic porous membrane 4 is 0.01-.
10 μm, preferably 0.1 to 1 μm. 0.01μ
If it is less than m, there is difficulty in manufacturing the film, and conversely, 10μ
If it exceeds m, it is not preferable because impurities and foreign substances are likely to adhere. Porosity is 50 to 98%, preferably 60 to 95
%. If it is less than 50%, the amount of water vapor permeation becomes small, and the amount of humidification becomes insufficient, while if it exceeds 98%, the strength of the film decreases. In addition, the hydrophobic porous membrane 4
The thickness is preferably 5 to 300 μm, preferably 30 to 60 μm. When it is thinner than 5 μm, there is a problem in handleability during production.

The humidifying film 5 in the present invention is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the outer peripheral surface of the hydrophilic material 3 is coated with the hydrophobic porous film 4.
It is desirable that the and the hydrophobic porous membrane 4 are in contact with each other. However, it is better that at least a part of the hydrophilic material 3 is not covered with the hydrophobic porous film 4 in the part that is exposed to water. In order to manufacture the moisturizing film 5 of the type shown in FIG. 2, for example, the long hydrophobic porous film 4 is folded in two, and the hydrophilic material 3 is sandwiched therein, and the widthwise green portion is fused. It may be joined with an adhesive or the like.

The separator (gap forming material) 6 is used to spread the dry air over the entire surface of the humidifying film 5 to increase the humidifying efficiency. This is made of polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl chloride, etc. and has a thickness of 0.1 to 1 mm.
(Appropriate distance between peaks and valleys is 2.0 to 3.0 mm, distance between peaks is about 6.0 to 7.0 mm) or a shape close to this can be used. Further, the separator can be omitted by installing and fixing the humidifying film with a space required for ventilation.

Both ends (FIG. 2) or one end of the hydrophilic material 3 is immersed in water in the tank 1, and this water is sucked up above the hydrophilic material 3, and dry air is blown into this. Therefore, even in the middle of this, the water becomes water vapor through the hydrophobic porous membrane 4 and is transferred to the outside of the system. As a result, the moisture vapor transmission performance can be utilized up to a value of 100% or close to it. As mentioned above, in the humidifying unit of the present invention, due to its structure, it is necessary to laminate a reinforcing material (a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, a knitted fabric or the like) on the surface of the hydrophobic porous membrane 4 for the purpose of reinforcing the strength. However, they may be provided for the purpose of improving the handleability of the hydrophobic porous membrane during production. Although the humidifying unit of the present invention can be used alone, it can also be used by being incorporated in the air outlet of an air conditioner or a heat exchanger. In this case, existing blower mechanisms and water supply mechanisms can be used.

Example 1 Humidification unit shown in FIG. 1 (7 pieces of U-shaped moisturizing membrane having a thickness of about 2 mm, which is obtained by coating a hydrophilic material with a hydrophobic porous membrane, has a size of 150 mm × 150 mm × 90 mm. A polyethylene separator having a peak-to-peak distance of 6.4 mm and a peak-to-valley distance of 2.4 mm was provided between the U-shaped humidifying membranes. From 2
Filled with water to a height of 0 mm) was prepared. Dry air with a humidity of 15% and a temperature of 40 ° C. was added to the humidifying unit.
When humidified by sending with a fan at an air volume of 01 m ³ / hr, the humidity at the outlet became 45%, and mist and white powder scattering did not occur.

[0020]

According to the present invention, clean humidification is carried out without generation of mist or scattering of white powder. Further, since the water is absorbed by the hydrophilic material to supply the water to the hydrophobic porous membrane, high moisture permeability can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an example of a humidifying unit of the present invention.

2A is a partially enlarged perspective view of the humidifying unit shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along line BB ′ of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a conventional humidifier.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another example of a conventional humidifier.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Tank (water holding container) 2 Water inlet 3 Hydrophilic material 4 Hydrophobic porous membrane 5 Humidifying membrane 6 Separator 7 Case 11 Water 80 Hydrophilic material 90 Bag-shaped moisture permeable membrane

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A humidifying membrane comprising a hydrophilic material capable of absorbing, moving and releasing humidifying water, and a hydrophobic porous membrane covering the hydrophilic material. And a humidifying unit. 2. A humidifying membrane comprising a hydrophilic material capable of absorbing, moving and releasing water for humidification and a hydrophobic porous membrane covering the hydrophilic material, and the hydrophilic membrane. A humidifying unit having a water holding container for supplying water to the material. 3. A humidifying film comprising a hydrophilic material capable of absorbing, moving and releasing water for humidification, and a hydrophobic porous film covering the hydrophilic material, and the hydrophilic material. A humidifying unit comprising a water holding container for supplying water and a blowing mechanism for blowing air to the humidifying membrane. 4. A long hydrophilic material and a hydrophobic porous membrane which is coated with the long hydrophilic material excluding the end in the longitudinal direction are bent in the longitudinal direction to form an approximately inverted U-shape for humidification. The humidifying unit according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the humidifying unit is a membrane, and a plurality of the inverted U-shaped humidifying membranes are arranged in parallel at intervals necessary for ventilation. 5. A plurality of vertically or horizontally long moisturizing membranes, which are composed of a hydrophilic material and a hydrophobic porous membrane which is coated with the hydrophilic material except for the lower end portion, are arranged in parallel at intervals necessary for ventilation. The humidifying unit according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein: