JPH07332716A - Humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a humidifier, capable of unnecessitating the feed-water- piping work from a water service to a humidifying unit. CONSTITUTION:The humidifying device B of this invention is mounted on a fan-coil unit type air-conditioning machine A and supplies water from the cold and hot-water coil 3 of the air-conditioning machine A into a humidifying unit 10 through a filtrating unit 20. Liquid absorbing agent L, capable of humidifying and dehumidifying, is received in a humidifying unit 10. The humidifying unit 10 is provided with a humidifying pipe 12 consisting of a hydrophobic porous membrane capable of preventing the passage of water and permitting the passage of water vapor. The filtrating unit 20 is provided with filtrating pipes 22 consisting of a non-porous gas separating membrane, permitting the passage of water and precluding the passage of said liquid absorbing agent L.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a humidifying device applied to a fan coil unit type air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an air conditioning system using a fan coil unit system. This fan coil unit system installs a small indoor air conditioner (fan coil unit) equipped with a small blower directly connected to an electric motor and a hot / cold water coil, etc. This is a system that supplies cold or hot water with a pump to perform air conditioning.

An advantage of the fan coil unit system is that it can be adjusted for each unit, so that it is suitable for individual control, and that each unit in a room can be stopped independently, so that it can be used in a building where a lot of parts are used. You can drive economically. Taking advantage of this advantage, it is often used in hotel rooms and apartments.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned air conditioning system, only temperature adjustment can be performed during heating. Therefore, in order to respond to the request for humidification in winter,
It is necessary to newly install a humidifying device, but in this case, new water supply piping work for supplying water from the water supply to the humidifying device was required.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems and to provide a humidifying device which can eliminate the need for water supply piping work from a water supply to the humidifying device.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a humidifying device according to a first aspect of the present invention has a hydrophobic porous membrane which prevents water from passing and allows water vapor to pass therethrough. It is characterized by including a humidifying unit for humidifying the ventilation flow through the porous membrane, and a communicating means for communicating the humidifying unit with the cold / hot water coil of the air conditioner.

The humidifying device according to a second aspect is the humidifying device according to the first aspect, wherein the communicating means is provided with a filtering means for filtering the water from the cold / hot water coil and supplying the filtered water to the humidifying unit. It is characterized by that. A humidifying device according to a third aspect is the humidifying device according to the second aspect, wherein the humidifying unit contains a liquid absorbent capable of exchanging water vapor with the air through the hydrophobic porous membrane. The filtering means is characterized by comprising a separation membrane that allows passage of water and blocks passage of the liquid absorbent.

A humidifying device according to a fourth aspect is the humidifying device according to the third aspect, wherein the humidifying unit is connected to a tank capable of storing the liquid absorbent from the humidifying unit. Is to

[0009]

According to the structure of the invention according to claim 1, since water can be supplied to the humidifying unit from the cold / hot water coil of the air conditioner through the communicating means, a new water supply pipe from the water supply to the humidifying unit. It is possible to eliminate the need for construction work. According to the configuration of the invention according to the second aspect, the water from the cold / hot water coil can be filtered and supplied to the humidifying unit. Since the impurities contained in water are not supplied to the humidifying unit, deterioration of the hydrophobic porous membrane of the humidifying unit can be prevented and the life can be extended.

According to the configuration of the invention of claim 3 above,
Since the liquid absorbent is contained in the humidifying unit, the humidifying unit can perform dehumidification when the humidity of the ventilation flow is high during the rainy season or the like. When the filtering means is composed of a separation membrane and the outflow of the liquid absorbent is blocked, in the winter, when the humidity of the ventilation flow is low and humidification is performed, water must be supplied from the cold / hot water coil to the humidification unit through the separation membrane. You can

According to the configuration of the invention according to claim 4,
When the amount of the liquid absorbent in the humidifying unit increases due to dehumidification, it can be stored in the tank.

[0012]

Embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fan coil unit type air conditioner to which a humidifying device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. Referring to FIG.
In the central machine room 1, though not shown, a central cold / hot heat source device and a pump are provided, and cold water or hot water is supplied from the central cold / hot heat source device to the cold / hot water coil 3 via the pipe 2 by the pump. The cold water or hot water supplied and discharged from the cold / hot water coil 3 is returned to the central cold / heat source device via the pipe 4 and circulated. Then, a fan 5 as a blower is provided on the cold / hot water coil 3.
By applying the aeration flow generated by, the aeration flow is cooled or heated.

The humidifying device B includes a humidifying unit 10 for humidifying the ventilation flow, a filtering unit 20 interposed between the humidifying unit 10 and the pipe 4, and a tank 30 connected to the humidifying unit 10. Is equipped with. The humidifying unit 10 includes a shell 11 that stores a lithium chloride aqueous solution that is the liquid absorbent L, and a wall surface 1 of the shell 11.
A large number of humidifying pipes 12 made of a fluororesin, which are arranged in a state of inserting 1a and 11b and humidify the ventilation flow introduced into the inside.
And have. The humidifying pipe 12 is made of a known hydrophobic porous membrane that prevents water from passing and allows water vapor to pass. A liquid storage space V is defined in the shell 11 by the peripheral wall surface of the humidification pipe 12. The inside of the humidification pipe 12 is a humidification space for introducing the above-mentioned ventilation flow.

The filtration unit 20 comprises a shell 21 for accumulating water, and a plurality of filtration pipes 22 arranged in a state where the wall surfaces 21a and 21b of the shell 21 are inserted, and a filtration pipe 22 as a filtration means for introducing the liquid absorbent L therein. Have The liquid passage space inside the filtration pipe 22 and the water storage space W inside the shell 21 are partitioned by the peripheral wall surface of the filtration pipe 22. The filtration pipe 22 is composed of a separation membrane that allows passage of water and blocks passage of the liquid absorbent L. This separation membrane is made of, for example, a non-porous fluorine-based gas separation membrane.
The principle that this non-porous separation membrane allows water to permeate is as follows. That is, water is dissolved on the membrane surface on the supply side and diffuses at the molecular level in the membrane, and eventually it is desorbed on the membrane surface on the permeation side to become water vapor, resulting in the permeation of water. It can be done.

A supply pipe 41 for supplying water from the pipe 4 to the water storage space W and a return pipe 42 for returning water from the water storage space W to the pipe 4 are connected to the water storage space W. Has been done. Water from the pipe 4 is circulated in the water reservoir space W by the supply pipe 41 and the return pipe 42. The supply pipe 41 is provided with an on-off valve 51, and the return pipe 42 is provided with an on-off valve 52.

On the other hand, both ends of the filtration pipe 22 are communicated with the liquid storage space V of the humidifying unit 10 via the supply pipe 43 and the return pipe 44, respectively.
The liquid absorbent L is circulated in the liquid storage space V of the humidification unit 10 and the inside of the filtration pipe 22 of the filtration unit 20 by the 3 and the return pipe 44. The supply pipe 43 includes an opening / closing valve 53 and a filtration unit 20.
A check valve 54 is provided to prevent backflow to the side.
Further, the return pipe 44 is provided with a check valve 55 for preventing backflow to the humidification unit 10 side, and a pump 60 for feeding the liquid absorbent L to the filtration unit 20 side.

The tank 30 is communicated with the liquid storage space V of the humidifying unit 10 via a communication pipe 45, and the tank 30 is provided at a portion of the supply pipe 43 upstream of the check valve 54. They are communicated with each other via a communication pipe 46. The tank 30 has both a function as an expansion tank that absorbs the expansion of water in the humidifying unit 10 during dehumidification and a function as a recovery tank that recovers the liquid absorbent L from the humidifying unit 10 when the humidifying device B is not used. ing.

Next, the operation of the humidifier B will be described. On-off valve 5 when humidification is required in winter
1, 52 are opened, and hot water from the cold / hot water coil 3 is circulated through the supply pipe 41 and the return pipe 42 to the water reservoir space W of the filtration unit 20. Further, the opening / closing valve 53 is opened and the pump 60 is operated to circulate the liquid absorbent L in the liquid storage space V of the humidification unit 10 and the inside of the filtration pipe 22 of the filtration unit 20. Thereby, the water from the cold / hot water coil 3 is supplied to the liquid storage space V of the humidification unit 10 in a state of being filtered by the filtration unit 20, and the humidification unit 10 humidifies the ventilation flow F through the humidification pipe 12. .

On the other hand, when the vehicle is stopped at night in winter, the on-off valve 51,
By stopping 52, the supply of water from the cold / hot water coil 3 is cut off. Further, the pump 60 is stopped and the opening / closing valve 53 is opened. The water expansion of the liquid absorbent L in the humidifying unit 10 is released to the tank 30 via the pipe 45. This will also be a countermeasure against condensation at night in winter. If dehumidification is required during the rainy season, etc., the on-off valves 51, 5
2 is closed, and the supply of water from the cold / hot water coil 3 is stopped. Further, the opening / closing valve 53 is opened and the pump 60 is operated to circulate the liquid absorbent L in the liquid storage space V of the humidification unit 10 and the inside of the filtration pipe 22 of the filtration unit 20. Thereby, the humidifying unit 10 can absorb the vapor of the ventilation flow into the liquid absorbent L in the liquid storage space V via the humidification pipe 12, and can dehumidify the ventilation flow. The water expansion of the liquid absorbent L is released to the tank 30 through the communication pipe 45.

When there is no need for humidification, such as during the summer and intermediate seasons, the pump 60 is operated for a predetermined time with the on-off valves 51 to 53 closed to collect the liquid absorbent L in the tank 30. I'll do it. This prevents deterioration of the liquid absorbent L. According to the present embodiment, water can be supplied to the humidifying unit 10 from the cold / hot water coil 3 of the air conditioner A, so that it is not necessary to carry out a new water supply pipe construction from the water supply to the humidifying unit 10.

Further, the water from the cold / hot water coil 3 can be filtered by the filtering unit 20 and supplied to the humidifying unit 10. Therefore, since the impurities contained in the water are not supplied to the humidification unit 10, the humidification unit 10
The deterioration of the hydrophobic porous film forming the humidifying pipe 12 can be prevented, and the service life can be extended. Further, since the liquid absorbent L is stored in the liquid storage space V of the humidifying unit 10, the humidifying unit 10 can perform dehumidification when the humidity of the ventilation flow is high in the summer and the like. Filtration pipe 22
However, the liquid absorbent L in the filtration unit 20 does not flow out through the filtration pipe 22 because it is composed of a separation membrane that allows the passage of water but blocks the passage of the liquid absorbent L. In addition, if the humidity of the ventilation flow is low in winter, the filtration pipe 2
Through 2, the water can be supplied to the liquid storage space V side of the humidifying unit 10. Further, since the liquid absorbent L can be prevented from flowing out, it is possible to prevent the liquid absorbent L in the humidifying unit 10 from becoming diluted and the dehumidifying ability from decreasing.

Moreover, when the amount of the liquid absorbent L in the humidifying unit 10 increases due to dehumidification, it can be stored in the tank 30, so that the pressure in the humidifying unit 10 can be prevented from unnecessarily increasing. As a result, liquid leakage from the humidifying unit 10 and damage to the humidifying unit 10 can be prevented. In addition, since the liquid absorbent L that has expanded in the humidifying unit 10 can be released to the tank 30 as described above, a large amount of water can be absorbed and a high dehumidifying amount can be secured.

Further, since the lithium chloride aqueous solution used as the liquid absorbent L has a sterilizing property, it is possible to prevent the growth of bacteria in the humidifying unit 10. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned examples, and for example, as the liquid absorbent L, in addition to diethylene glycol and caustic soda aqueous solution, JP-A-5-146627, page 5, left column, lines 45 to 5 can be used. Various liquid absorbents described in the right column, second line can be used. Also, the humidifying pipe 12
As the material of the hydrophobic porous film constituting the above, various materials described in JP-A-5-146627, page 5, right column, lines 3 to 13 can be used in addition to polyethylene and polypropylene.

Further, the present humidifying device B may be installed in the central machine room 1 and the humidified or dehumidified air may be blown into each room by a duct. Further, although the liquid absorbent L is used for the purpose of performing dehumidification also in the above-described embodiment, in the case of performing only humidification, the liquid absorbent L may be replaced with mere water. Further, in this case, it may be filtered by a known filter member, or the configuration of the filtration unit 20 may be omitted and water may be directly supplied from the cold / hot water coil 3 to the humidification unit 10.

In addition, various design changes can be made.

[0026]

According to the first aspect of the invention, since water can be supplied from the cold / hot water coil of the air conditioner to the humidifying unit via the communicating means, a new water supply pipe from the water supply to the humidifying unit is provided. It is possible to eliminate the need for construction work. According to the invention of claim 2, water from the cold / hot water coil can be filtered and supplied to the humidifying unit. Since the impurities contained in water are not supplied to the humidifying unit, deterioration of the hydrophobic porous membrane of the humidifying unit can be prevented and the life can be extended.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the liquid absorbent is contained in the humidifying unit, the humidifying unit can perform dehumidification when the humidity of the ventilation flow is high during the rainy season or the like. it can. When the filtering means is composed of a separation membrane and the outflow of the liquid absorbent is blocked, in the winter when the humidity of the aeration flow is low and humidification is performed, water can be supplied to the humidification unit from the cold / hot water coil through the separation membrane. it can. Further, since the outflow of the liquid absorbent can be prevented, it is possible to prevent the liquid absorbent in the humidifying unit from becoming thin and the dehumidifying ability from being lowered.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the liquid absorbent in the humidifying unit expands due to dehumidification, it can be escaped and stored in the tank. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an unnecessary increase in pressure in the humidifying unit, and as a result, it is possible to prevent liquid leakage from the humidifying unit and damage to the humidifying unit. Further, since the liquid absorbent whose water has expanded as described above can be released to the tank, a large amount of water can be absorbed and a high dehumidification amount can be secured.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of an air conditioner to which a humidifying device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A air conditioner B humidifier 3 cold / hot water coil F ventilation flow 10 humidification unit 12 humidification pipe 20 filtration unit 22 filtration pipe 30 tank 41 supply pipe 42 return pipe 43 supply pipe 44 return pipe

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A hydrophobic porous membrane (12) having a hydrophobic porous membrane (12) capable of preventing water from passing therethrough and allowing water vapor to pass therethrough.
The humidification unit (10) for humidifying the ventilation flow (F) via the air conditioning unit (10) and the cold / hot water coil of the air conditioner (A).
(3) A humidifying device characterized by including communication means (41, 42, 20, 43, 44) communicating with (3). 2. The humidifying device according to claim 1, wherein the communicating means (41, 42, 20, 43, 44) filters the water from the cold / hot water coil (3) to humidify the unit (10). A humidifying device, characterized in that it is provided with a filtering means (22) for supplying to. 3. The humidifying device according to claim 2, wherein the humidifying unit (10) includes the hydrophobic porous membrane with the air.
A liquid absorbent (L) capable of transmitting and receiving water vapor is contained through (12), and the filtering means (22) allows passage of water and blocks passage of the liquid absorbent (L). A humidifying device comprising a separation membrane. 4. The humidifying device according to claim 3, wherein the humidifying unit (10) is connected to a tank (30) capable of storing the liquid absorbent (L) from the humidifying unit (10). Humidification device characterized in that.