JPH07318120A - Humidity regulator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a humidity regulator in which the management for pyrogen free state is effectively easy when the pyrogen free state is required with excellent response to controllability of humidity and temperature and particularly humidity change in a compact apparatus with a simple system. CONSTITUTION:A temperature and humidity regulating unit 20 for regulating the temperature and the humidity of gas to be humidity-regulated by introducing the gas to be humidity-regulated of an apparatus for forming gas for humidifying and drying with the unit 20 has a channel forming unit 21 for forming a gas channel, heat exchanging means 23 for regulating gas temperature to be passed through the forming unit, and a steam spray nozzle 30 for spraying steam into the gas passed through the forming unit to regulate the humidity, and the nozzle 30 has a steam jet port 32. Simultaneously, a stable space connected to a steam supply source 40 to stabilize the flow of the gas in an upstream direction at the installed position of the nozzle 30 as a boundary is provided, and a steam solving space for sufficiently solving the sprayed steam in the gap is provided at a downstream direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gas humidity control device, and more particularly to a device for producing a drying gas having a desired humidity (hereinafter, simply referred to as "humidifying and drying gas").

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in the process of drying pigments, food additives, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, etc., how to reduce the residual solvent has been a problem, and only 100% dry air is used. When forced to dry, the drying speed of only the surface of the object to be dried becomes extremely fast,
The surface of the communication hole that communicates with the inside of the object to be dried is crushed, and as a result, it takes time to dry the center of the object to be dried,
Alternatively, in many cases, inconvenience may occur in that the characteristics of the material to be dried after drying are not as expected.

Therefore, it has been necessary to appropriately produce a drying gas having a desired humidity according to the kind of the material to be dried and to dry the material to be dried using this gas.

As a humidity control method which has been generally used to meet such demands, for example, dehumidified air is dispersed in water or is brought into contact with falling water to temporarily remove air saturated with humidity. For example, there is a method in which this air is mixed with dehumidified air to obtain air having a predetermined humidity. A specific device example is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

In FIG. 6, the dry air dehumidified by the dehumidifier 110 is branched and supplied to the heat exchanger 130 and the humidification unit 140 by the blower 120. The temperature of the dry air supplied to the heat exchanger 130 side is adjusted by the heat exchanger 130, and the humidifying unit 1
The dry air supplied to the 40 side is dispersed in water to become saturated vapor (air with saturated humidity). In addition, if necessary, the heat exchanger 160 is used again to bring the temperature to a predetermined temperature. Then, the branched air is mixed again in the mixing unit 150 or in the pipe to be air having a predetermined humidity (the humidity is adjusted by changing the mixing ratio). The air whose humidity and temperature have been adjusted as described above is usually used for drying a substance to be dried as air for humidifying and drying after passing through a demister or the like.

FIG. 7 shows a humidifying unit 140 shown in FIG.
2 shows a humidifying unit 140 ′ of another aspect corresponding to the above, in which the air supplied from the blower to the unit bottom portion 141 is circulated by the pump 142 of the unit and the water showered from the unit top portion 143. After flow contact, it becomes saturated steam (air with saturated humidity) and is discharged. Similarly to the device shown in FIG. 6, this is also mixed with dry air to form air having a predetermined humidity, and is used as air for humidifying and drying to dry the material to be dried.

[0007]

However, when air for humidification and drying is produced using such a conventional apparatus,
There is a problem that the controllability of humidity and temperature, particularly the responsiveness to changes in humidity and the like, is poor. Further, in the conventional apparatus, there is a problem that the capacity of the humidifying unit becomes large because the contact time with water is sufficient to saturate the dehumidified air, and the apparatus is not compact.

Further, the dry air is once halved to produce air of saturated humidity on the one hand, and dry air of a predetermined temperature on the other hand, so that the system of the apparatus is complicated and the number of constituent devices is large. However, there is also a problem that the installation area of the device must be large.

When the humidifying / drying air is used in the process of drying medicines, medical supplies, etc., the humidifying / drying air should be controlled so as to be pyrogen-free (not containing a heat-generating substance). May be required.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional device, since water is used in the humidification unit, it is difficult to maintain pyrogen-free because bacteria are easily generated. The unit needs to be sterilized and the operation becomes complicated.

The present invention was created under such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a compact device having a simple system, which can control humidity and temperature.
In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a humidity control device which has excellent responsiveness to changes in humidity and the like, and when pyrogen-free is required, the control of pyrogen-free can be performed reliably and easily.

[0011]

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention introduces a gas to be humidity-controlled and adjusts the temperature and humidity of the introduced gas. A humidity control apparatus comprising a unit for producing a gas for humidification and drying, wherein the temperature / humidity adjusting unit comprises a flow path forming body forming a gas flow path, and a gas passing through the flow path forming body. A heat exchange means for adjusting the temperature, and a water vapor spray nozzle for adjusting the humidity by spraying water vapor in the gas passing through the flow path forming body, the water vapor spray nozzle, It is equipped with a steam outlet and is connected to a steam supply source for supplying steam, and in the flow path forming body, with the installation position of the steam atomizing nozzle as a boundary, in the upstream direction, Safety to stabilize the flow The space is provided, in the downstream direction, and the sprayed steam to include vapor penetration space for sufficiently dissolve in a gas.

[0012]

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the present embodiment, air that is commonly used is described as an example of the gas whose humidity is to be adjusted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air 11 to be humidity-controlled is introduced into a dehumidifier 13, where the humidity in the air is once lowered to a predetermined humidity. The dehumidifying method in the dehumidifier 13 is not particularly limited, and for example,
A well-known dehumidification method such as adsorption method or freezing method is adopted. In addition, the air 11 itself which is the humidity control target is
The dehumidifier 13 is not particularly required and can be omitted as long as it is within the humidity range required for conditioning the air for humidifying and drying in the subsequent step.

As described above, the air, which is normally lowered to a predetermined humidity (or has a predetermined humidity), is sent to the temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20 which is the main part of the present invention through the blower 15. The blower 15 can control the air volume based on the detected amount of the air volume sensor 15a inserted in front of the temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20, for example. The air volume sent to the temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20 is, for example, 5 to 8 Nm ³ / min.

The temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20 is a unit installed for the purpose of adjusting the temperature and humidity of the air introduced into this unit. The temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20 has a cylindrical flow passage forming body 21 forming an air flow passage, and heat exchange for mainly adjusting the temperature of air passing through the flow passage forming body 21. A means 23 and a steam spray nozzle 30 for spraying steam into the air passing through the flow path forming body 21 to adjust the humidity are provided.

The water vapor spray nozzle 30 has a cylindrical nozzle body 31, and the nozzle body 31 has a plurality of jet ports 32 arranged linearly in the longitudinal direction. Such a nozzle body 31 is inserted so as to be substantially perpendicular to the flow direction of the air passing through the flow path forming body 21. At this time, the direction of the ejection port 32 of the nozzle main body 31 is not particularly limited, but preferably, the air which the ejection port 32 of the nozzle main body 31 passes through in the flow path forming body 21 as shown in FIG. It is arranged so as to face within the range of θ = ± 90 °, and more preferably within the range of θ = ± 45 ° with respect to the flow direction of. Above all, it is preferable to eject the gas in a countercurrent. This is because the sprayed water vapor is efficiently dissolved in the gas. As a result, the device can be made compact.

Water vapor spray nozzle 30 used in the present invention
Must have a structure such that the water vapor sprayed from the plurality of jet ports 32 becomes superheated steam. In other words, it is necessary to minimize the droplets in the water vapor and to dissolve the droplets in the air immediately after spraying them into the circulating air to suppress the temperature rise after humidification. In order to generate such superheated steam, for example, a steam spray nozzle 30 as shown in FIG. 3 is exemplified. In FIG. 3, the water vapor introduced from the steam inlet 35 passes through the outer jacket portion 31 a of the nozzle body 31 to reach the baffle plate 36.
After passing through a separation chamber P provided with a nozzle body 31 and a drying chamber H filled with a stainless filler, for example, the nozzle body 31
Is sprayed from a plurality of ejection ports 32 provided in the inner pipe 31b of Water vapor spray nozzle 30 shown in FIG.
In the case of being sprayed from the jet outlet 32, the steam is reheated by the steam introduced from the steam inlet 35 and passing through the outer jacket portion 31a, and steam in a superheated state containing no droplets is created. It should be noted that in the separation chamber P and the drying chamber H, droplets in water vapor that may be generated during circulation are removed.

The amount of water vapor emitted from the water vapor spray nozzle 30 is usually 0.4 to 100 Kg / hr, although it varies depending on the amount of air to be humidity controlled.

The flow path forming body 21 into which the nozzle body 31 of the water vapor spray nozzle 30 is inserted has a tubular shape, and its cross-sectional shape is not particularly limited to a square shape or a round shape. Then, as shown in detail in FIG. 4, a stable space S1 for stabilizing the gas flow in the upstream direction with the installation position of the water vapor spray nozzle 30 as a boundary in the flow path forming body 21. Is provided, and the steam penetration space S2 for sufficiently melting the sprayed water vapor into the gas is provided in the downstream direction.

The distance d2 in the downstream direction for forming the vapor penetration space S2 can be changed depending on the temperature, flow velocity, humidification amount, etc. of the gas, but in the present invention, it is at least 500 mm or more, particularly 500 ~ 2000 mm, more preferably 500-1500 mm. If the value of the distance d2 in the downstream direction is less than 500 mm, the sprayed water vapor cannot be sufficiently dissolved in the gas, and at the same time, the temperature of the gas rises, and the desired humidity and temperature cannot be controlled. The inconvenience of being lost occurs. If this value becomes too large, there arises a disadvantage that the device is not compact.

The upstream distance d1 for forming the stable space is set so that the flow of the humidifying atmosphere is stable, and in the present invention, at least 300 mm or more, particularly 300 to 1000 mm, more preferably 300. ~
It is set to 500 mm. The value of the distance d1 in the downstream direction is
If it is less than 300 mm, the portion where the flow is not stable will be humidified, which may result in poor melting of steam. If this value becomes too large, there arises a disadvantage that the device is not compact.

The optimum value of the distance d2 in the downstream direction also changes depending on the air flow rate of the air passing through the flow path forming body 21, the air flow rate, the humidification amount (water vapor amount), and the like. Especially, the flow velocity of the air passing through the flow path forming body 21 is an important factor, and the flow velocity of the air is 1 to 10 m / s.
The cross-sectional area in the steam penetration space S2 is set to be ec, more preferably 1 to 3 m / sec. When the flow velocity of air exceeds 10 m / sec, the distance d in the downstream direction
The distance of 2 has to be set large, which causes the inconvenience that the equipment itself becomes large, and the flow velocity of air is 1
If it is less than m / sec, the disadvantage that vapor condensation is likely to occur occurs. On the other hand, the stable space S
The cross-sectional area of 1 is usually set in the same manner as the cross-sectional area in the vapor penetration space S2.

The water vapor spray nozzle 30 described above is
It is connected via a control valve 38 to a steam supply source 40 for supplying steam. As will be described later, the control valve 38 is used to finally adjust the humidity of air (humidifying / drying gas).
It is controlled based on the information of the humidity sensor 88 that detects the humidity of. Further, the present invention is an apparatus for producing a gas for humidifying and drying, and the steam supply source 40 is not particularly limited as long as the object to be dried does not directly affect the human body such as an ordinary pigment. However, if the object to be dried is a medicine, medical supplies, or the like that can directly affect the human body, the air for humidifying and drying is required to be pyrogen-free (not containing a heat-generating substance). Therefore, as the steam supply source 40 for drying medicines, medical supplies, etc.,
A so-called pyrogen fleece steam generator is used. The pyrogen-free steam generator is, for example, a device that indirectly heats pyrogen-free water into steam, and various types are known, and any type can be used.

The temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20 further includes a heat exchanging means 23 for adjusting the temperature of the air passing through the flow path forming body 21. As the heat exchange means 23, for example, a so-called heat exchanger for flowing a refrigerant or a heat medium 24 into the jacket is used, and a control valve 28 (FIG. 1) is provided at the jacket inlet. As will be described later, the control valve 28 is controlled based on information from a temperature sensor 78 that detects the temperature of air (humidifying / drying gas) to be finally conditioned.

Such a heat exchange means 23 may be installed upstream of the above-mentioned steam spray nozzle 30 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, or as shown in FIG. It may be installed on the downstream side of the spray nozzle 30. However, in any case, it goes without saying that it is necessary to secure the stable space S1 and the vapor penetration space S2 in the flow path forming body 21.

The size of the temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20 of the present invention is about ⅕ of the size of the conventional unit (FIGS. 6 and 7) having the same function and ability as this. OK. The temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20 does not necessarily need to be integrated, and can be of course separated into a unit including the heat exchange means 23 and a unit including the water vapor spray nozzle 30 as long as the compactness of the unit is not lost. It is possible. An aspect in which the temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20 is separated within the range where the compactness of the unit is not lost is also an aspect of the present invention.

The air that has passed through the temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20 is guided to the demister 50. The demister 50 is provided to remove condensed water contained in the air. However, in the present invention, in the temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20, since the sprayed water vapor is set to dissolve in the air without being dispersed and condensed, there is no need to particularly provide the demister 50. Confirmed experimentally. In that sense, it can be said that the Demister 50 is just a unit provided just in case.

The air that has passed through the demister 50 is introduced into the filter unit 60. In the filter unit 60, for example, foreign substances and bacteria in the air are removed. When the product to be dried is medicine or medical supplies, a filter for bacteria removal should be selected and used.
As the filter installed in the filter unit 60, various known forms such as a cylindrical filter are used.

The gas (humidifying and drying gas) thus produced by the humidity control apparatus of the present invention is introduced into the dryer 70, and inside the dryer 70, objects to be dried such as pigments, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, etc. Humidified and dried. Humidifying and drying air produced by the humidity control apparatus of the present invention has a humidity of 10 to 9
Adjustable within the range of 5% RH or more (relative humidity),
80-90%, which was difficult to handle with conventional equipment
It has been experimentally confirmed that air with a humidity as high as RH can be easily formed and that the responsiveness in a high humidity range is good.

Immediately before the dryer 70, as shown in FIG. 1, a humidity sensor 88 and a temperature sensor 78 for detecting the humidity and temperature of the air (gas for humidifying and drying) to be finally conditioned are provided. It is installed and the control valves 38 and 28 are operated based on this information.

The present invention will be described in more detail below by showing concrete experimental examples of the present invention.

(Experimental Example 1) Using the humidity control apparatus shown in FIG. 1, air for humidifying and drying was produced, and an experiment for confirming the controllability (responsiveness) of the present invention was conducted.

The specifications of the temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20 used are as follows.

Flow path forming body: a rectangular shape having a cross section of 300 mm × 300 mm, a length of 3400 mm, and an upstream distance d1 = 500 for forming a stable space.
mm Downstream distance d2 = 1 for forming the steam penetration space
000 mm steam spray nozzle: model number 1200, manufactured by Armstrong Co., Ltd. The air volume of the air to be humidity controlled was 7 Nm ³ / min, and dehumidifier 13 was previously dehumidified to a humidity of 40% RH. Thereafter, the dehumidified air (temperature 55 ° C.) was introduced into the temperature / humidity adjusting unit 20. The introduced air is cooled to a temperature of 18 ° C. by the heat exchange means 23, and thereafter, is humidified by superheated steam (water vapor amount: 3.6 Kg / hr) sprayed from the steam spray nozzle, and the humidity is 95% RH. The air became humidifying and drying air at a temperature of 18 ° C. In the present invention, since a stable space and a vapor penetration space in which the sprayed water vapor sufficiently dissolves in the gas are provided in the flow path forming body during humidification, almost no temperature change is observed before and after humidification. As a result, naturally, no droplet was found in the air for humidifying and drying, and the response to the change in humidity was extremely excellent. That is, it was confirmed that a response was made in 20 seconds to a change in humidity from 40% RH to 95% RH.

In other words, in the apparatus of the present invention, the water vapor supplied for humidification is completely dissolved in the air for humidity control without condensing, so that the responsiveness in humidity control is good and control is possible. Can be done reliably.

(Experimental Example 2) An experiment was conducted to examine the influence of the downstream distance d2 forming the vapor penetration space S2. That is, in the above-mentioned Experimental Example 1, the experiment was conducted by changing the value of the distance d2 variously. As a result, when the value of the distance d2 in the downstream direction is in the range of 500 mm or more, the sprayed water vapor can be sufficiently dissolved in the gas, and the water vapor does not condense, so that the desired temperature and humidity can be obtained. It was confirmed that the control of can be performed quickly. On the other hand, the distance d in the downstream direction
When the value of 2 was less than 500 mm, the sprayed water vapor could not be sufficiently dissolved in the gas, the water vapor was condensed, and the desired temperature and humidity could not be controlled.

(Experimental Example 3) An experiment was conducted to examine the influence of the upstream distance d1 forming the stable space S1. That is, the experiment was performed by changing the value of the distance d1 in the above Experimental Example 1. As a result, the value of the distance d1 in the upstream direction is
It has been confirmed that in the range of 300 mm or more, the gas flow is stable, the vapor can be sufficiently dissolved in the gas, and does not adversely affect the desired temperature and humidity control. On the other hand, if the value of the distance d1 is less than 300 mm, the flow of the humidified atmosphere is not stable, and the sprayed water vapor cannot be sufficiently dissolved in the gas.
Condensation of water vapor caused stable temperature and humidity control.

(Experimental Example 4) A confirmation experiment for ensuring pyrogen-free was conducted. That is, a steam source was used as a pyrogen free steam generator, air for humidification and drying was prepared according to the above-mentioned Experimental Example 1, and the pyrogen in the air was measured by a method called LAL (Limulus Ambocyte Lysate). As a result, it was confirmed that the pyrogen was below the standard value of water for injection in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia.

[0039]

ACTION AND EFFECT From the above results, the effect of the present invention is clear. That is, the present invention is a humidity control device that introduces a gas to be humidity-controlled and that includes a temperature / humidity adjusting unit that adjusts the temperature and humidity of the introduced gas to produce a gas for humidification and drying. , The temperature
The humidity adjusting unit includes a flow path forming body that forms a gas flow path, heat exchange means for adjusting the temperature of the gas passing through the flow path forming body, and a passage through the flow path forming body. And a water vapor spray nozzle for adjusting the humidity by spraying water vapor into the gas, the water vapor spray nozzle is provided with a steam outlet, and is connected to a steam supply source for supplying steam. In the flow path forming body, a stable space for stabilizing the gas flow is provided in the upstream direction with the installation position of the water vapor spray nozzle as a boundary, and the sprayed water vapor is vaporized in the downstream direction. Since it is configured to have a vapor penetration space to allow it to sufficiently dissolve in it, it becomes a compact device with a simple system, excellent controllability of humidity and temperature, particularly excellent response to changes in humidity, etc. Pyro If the Enfuri is required,
Pyrogen-free management can be performed reliably and easily.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified configuration diagram schematically showing the entire humidity control apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a permissible range of a direction angle of a nozzle ejection port with respect to a flow direction of air.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of a suitable water vapor spray nozzle.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a temperature / humidity adjusting unit.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing another structure of the temperature / humidity adjusting unit.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically showing a conventional humidity control apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a simplified configuration diagram schematically showing a conventional humidifying unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 ... Temperature / humidity adjusting unit 21 ... Flow path forming body 23 ... Heat exchange means 30 ... Steam atomizing nozzle 32 ... Jet port 40 ... Steam supply source S1 ... Stable space S2 ... Steam penetration space d1 ... Solid-liquid separator d2 ... Downstream distance to form steam penetration space

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Toshio Shimura 2-12-1, Tsurumi Chuo, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Chiyoda Kakoh Construction Co., Ltd. (72) Shiro Terasaka, Chuo, Tsurumi-ku, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Chome 12-1 Chiyoda Kakoh Construction Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shinzo Watanabe 22 Sanada, Hasaki-cho, Kashima-gun, Ibaraki 22 Eisai Chemical Co., Ltd. Yukio Morita 22 Sunayama, Hasaki-machi, Kashima-gun, Ibaraki 22 Eisai Inside the Chemical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Katsuhiko Sato 22 Sunayama, Hasaki-cho, Kashima-gun, Ibaraki Eisai Chemical Co., Ltd. (72) In Hiroshi Matsunaga 22 Sunayama, Hasaki-machi, Kashima-gun, Ibaraki 22 Eisai Chemical Co., Ltd.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A humidity control apparatus for producing a gas for humidification and drying, comprising a temperature / humidity adjusting unit for adjusting the temperature and humidity of the introduced gas while introducing a gas to be humidity-controlled. The temperature / humidity adjusting unit includes a flow path forming body that forms a gas flow path, heat exchange means for adjusting the temperature of the gas passing through the flow path forming body, and the flow path forming body. It has a steam spray nozzle for spraying steam in a gas passing through it to adjust the humidity, and the steam spray nozzle includes a steam outlet and is connected to a steam supply source for supplying steam. In the flow path forming body, a stable space for stabilizing the flow of gas is provided in the upstream direction with the installation position of the water vapor spray nozzle as a boundary, and sprayed in the downstream direction. Sufficient water vapor in the gas A humidity control device, characterized by comprising a vapor penetration space for allowing it to melt. 2. The humidity control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the steam spray nozzle sprays superheated steam from a steam outlet. 3. The humidity control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a distance in the downstream direction for forming the vapor penetration space is at least 500 mm or more. 4. The humidity control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a distance in the upstream direction for forming the stable space is at least 300 mm or more. 5. The adjustment according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional areas in the stable space and the vapor penetration space are set so that the gas flow velocity is 1 to 10 m / sec. Wetting device. 6. The water vapor jet outlet is arranged so as to face within an angle range of ± 90 ° with respect to a flow direction of a gas passing through the inside of the flow path forming body. The humidity control apparatus according to any one of 1. 7. The humidity control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the steam supply source is a pyrogen free steam generator. 8. The humidity control apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a sterile filter unit as a post-process of the temperature / humidity adjusting unit.