JPH0759996B2 - Humidity controller - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a humidity controller for adjusting humidity in an air-conditioned room, for example.

(Prior Art) As a conventional example of a device for dehumidifying or humidifying indoor air, for example, a humidity controller disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-6652 can be cited.
A schematic diagram of the structure is shown in FIG. 8. In this humidity controller, two heat exchangers 90 and 91 made of a porous material that blocks water permeation and water vapor permeation are connected to a pipe 92.
To form an annular circulation path, and in this circulation path, the absorption of lithium chloride aqueous solution, etc., which absorbs and discharges water according to the difference in the saturated steam pressure with respect to the partial pressure of water vapor in the atmosphere is absorbed. It is filled with a moisture-releasing solution, and one of the heat exchangers 90 is heated at a temperature at which the saturated steam pressure of the moisture-absorbing and desorbing solution in the heat exchanger 90 becomes higher than the partial pressure of water vapor in the atmosphere around the heat exchanger 90. While maintaining the other heat exchanger 91
Is maintained at a temperature at which the saturated steam pressure of the moisture absorbing / releasing solution in the heat exchanger 91 becomes lower than the partial pressure of steam in the atmosphere around the heat exchanger 91, and the inside of the circulation path is pumped by the pump 93. The moisture absorbing / releasing solution is configured to circulate. When a heater for heating is provided in the heat exchanger 90 on the moisture releasing side, the heater 95 is integrally formed with the planar heat exchanger 94 as shown in FIG. 9, or as shown in FIG. A heater 97 made of exothermic paint is attached to the outer surface of the tube-shaped heat exchanger 96.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional heater mounting structure of FIG. 9 or FIG. 10, the heat exchanger 94,
There is a problem that the surface area of 96 is reduced and the heat exchange efficiency is reduced. Further, a part of the heat generation amount of the heaters 95, 97 is not transferred to the moisture absorbing / releasing solution in the heat exchangers 94, 96 and is radiated to the ambient air, so that there is a problem that the heating efficiency of the heaters is reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to attach a heater to a heat exchanger made of a porous material,
It is to provide a humidity controller that can maintain high heat exchange efficiency and heating efficiency.

(Means for Solving the Problem) Therefore, in the humidity controller according to the first aspect of the present invention, the two heat exchangers 1 and 2 made of a porous material permeable to water vapor are connected to the connecting pipes 3 and 3. To form an annular circulation path, and the circulation path absorbs and absorbs water according to the difference in the saturated steam pressure with respect to the partial pressure of water vapor in the atmosphere. The temperature at which the saturated steam pressure of the moisture absorbing / releasing solution in the heat exchanger 1 becomes higher than the partial pressure of water vapor in the atmosphere around the heat exchanger 1 by filling the moisture releasing solution with the one heat exchanger 1. While maintaining the other heat exchanger 2 at a temperature at which the saturated steam pressure of the moisture absorbing / releasing solution in the heat exchanger 2 becomes lower than the partial pressure of steam in the atmosphere around the heat exchanger 2. At the same time, the moisture absorption / desorption property is dissolved in the circulation path. A humidity controller configured such that a liquid is circulated so that one side of the heat exchanger 1 releases moisture and the other side of the heat exchanger 2 absorbs moisture. Is formed in a tube shape, and the linear heater 6 is arranged in the tube-shaped heat exchanger 1.

In the humidity controller according to the second aspect, the tubular heat exchanger 1 is spirally wound.

Furthermore, in the humidity controller according to the third aspect of the present invention, the pair of connecting pipes 3 and 3 on the forward side and the backward side are arranged so that heat exchange is possible with each other.

Further, in the humidity controller according to the fourth aspect, the connecting pipes 3 are made of crosslinked polyethylene.

In the humidity controller according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the pair of connecting pipes 3 and 3 are formed in double inside and outside.

(Operation) In the humidity controller according to the first aspect, the saturated vapor pressure of the moisture absorptive and desorptive solution in one heat exchanger (hereinafter, referred to as a first heat exchanger) 1 that is in a high temperature state is The partial pressure of water vapor in the ambient air becomes higher than the partial pressure of water vapor, resulting in the output of moisture, and thus the first heat exchanger 1 made of a porous material.
Water vapor permeates through and is given to the ambient air to humidify the ambient air. The moisture absorptive and desorptive solution in the first heat exchanger 1 circulates in the circulation path, and next, the other heat exchanger in the low temperature state (hereinafter referred to as the second heat exchanger) 2
In this case, the saturated steam pressure becomes lower than the steam partial pressure of the atmosphere at this time, and a water absorption force is generated. As a result, the steam in the atmosphere is made into a second heat exchanger composed of a porous material. 2 is absorbed by the moisture absorbing / releasing solution. A moisture absorption / desorption cycle operation that is the reverse of the above is also possible.

In this way, the moisture absorbing / releasing solution circulates between the first heat exchanger 1 and the second heat exchanger 2 to continuously humidify or dehumidify the ambient air. In the above configuration, the saturated steam pressure of the moisture absorbing / releasing solution inside the first heat exchanger 1 is lower than the steam partial pressure of the outside air, so that the first heat exchanger 1 side does not release moisture. In the case where there is a possibility of being in a state, the moisture absorbing / releasing solution inside the first heat exchanger 1 can be directly heated by the heater 6 to more reliably release moisture. It becomes possible to continue the cycle and carry out reliably.

Moreover, since the heater 6 is arranged inside the tubular heat exchanger 1, the surface area of the heat exchanger 1 does not decrease as in the conventional case, and the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger 1 is maintained high. Will be done. At the same time, the heating efficiency of the moisture absorbing / releasing solution by the heater 6 is also improved.

Further, in the humidity controller according to the second aspect, since the tubular heat exchanger 1 is spirally wound, the surface areas of the heat exchangers 1 and 2 with respect to the constituent volume are widened, and the heat exchanger is increased. It becomes possible to form 1 and 2 compactly.

Further, in the humidity controller according to the third aspect, since the pair of connecting pipes 3, 3 are arranged so as to be capable of heat exchange with each other, the temperature becomes high after the temperature becomes low in the second heat exchanger 2 on the low temperature side. The first heat exchanger 1 on the high temperature side heats the second heat exchanger 2 on the low temperature side after the first heat exchanger 1 on the high temperature side has reached a high temperature.
The moisture absorbing and desorbing solution cooled by means of flowing through the connecting pipes 3 and 3 while exchanging heat toward the heat exchangers 1 or 2 on the opposite sides, respectively. Since it is reduced, the thermal efficiency is further improved.

Further, in the humidity controller according to the fourth aspect, since the connecting pipes 3 and 3 are formed of cross-linked polyethylene, the connecting pipes 3 and 3 have improved corrosion resistance and are more flexible, so that the connecting pipe 3 is improved. The arrangement of 3 becomes easy.

In the humidity controller according to the fifth aspect, since the one passage 21 is surrounded by the other passage 22,
The heat exchanger efficiency in the connecting pipes 3 and 3 is further improved.

(Example) Next, about a specific example of the humidity controller of the present invention,
A detailed description will be given with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the humidity controller of the present invention. As shown in the figure, this humidity controller has two heat exchangers, a first heat exchanger 1 and a second heat exchanger 2, and these heat exchangers 1 and 2 are porous materials that allow water vapor to pass through. It is made of a material, for example, a porous fluorine material. Both heat exchangers 1 and 2 are connected to each other via a pump 4 by a connecting pipe 3 so as to form an annular circulation path. A moisture absorbing / releasing solution such as an aqueous solution of lithium chloride or an aqueous solution of lithium bromide is filled in the circulation path.

FIG. 7 shows a concentration-pressure diagram of the lithium bromide aqueous solution used as the moisture absorbing / releasing solution. As shown in the figure, in this aqueous solution, the higher the solution temperature is, the larger the saturated water vapor pressure is. Therefore, the temperature state in which the water vapor partial pressure of the solution is higher in the atmosphere than in the atmosphere When, the concentration changes along the equilibrium curve indicated by A in the figure, that is, the concentration rises and the saturated vapor pressure decreases due to the release of water into the atmosphere.
On the other hand, in a low temperature state in which the water vapor partial pressure of the solution is lower than the water vapor partial pressure in the atmosphere, the concentration change along the equilibrium curve shown by B in the figure, that is, the concentration due to absorption of moisture in the air It causes a decrease and an increase in saturated water vapor pressure.

Therefore, in the humidity controller having the above configuration, the first and second
The heat exchangers 1 and 2 are composed of a tubular pipe 5 made of the above-mentioned porous fluorine material as shown in FIG. 2, and the pipe 5 is wound in a spiral shape shown in FIG. And each of the heat exchangers 1 and 2 is configured. Further, linear heaters 6 and 6 are built in the heat exchangers 1 and 2, respectively, and the heaters 6 and 6 selectively generate a temperature difference between the heat exchangers 1 and 2. Connected to the power supplies 7, 7 to obtain. The heaters 6, 6 are made of fluorotron (trademark of Daikin Industries, Ltd.) or carbon-based material having high chemical resistance. Also, as shown in FIG.
The portions of the heaters 6 and 6 where the lead wires 8 penetrate the pipe 5 are sealed with a fluorine-based adhesive 9 having a heat resistant temperature of 80 ° C to 100 ° C. Therefore, for example, by energizing the heater 6 on the side of the first heat exchanger 1 and cutting off the energization of the heater 6 on the side of the second heat exchanger 2, the first heat exchanger 1 causes the water vapor of the hygroscopic solution to move. The second heat exchanger 2 is heated to a temperature at which the partial pressure is higher than the partial pressure of water vapor in the atmosphere, while the partial pressure of water vapor in the moisture absorbing / releasing solution is lower than the partial pressure of water vapor in the atmosphere. By placing it on the first heat exchanger 1, the water in the solution permeates the porous material forming the heat exchanger 1 and is discharged to the surroundings.
At the same time that the surrounding atmosphere is humidified, at the same time as the second heat exchanger 2 side, the water vapor in the surrounding atmosphere permeates the porous material forming the heat exchanger 2 and becomes a moisture absorbing / releasing solution inside. The air around the second heat exchanger 2 is absorbed and thus dehumidified. By circulating the moisture absorbing / releasing solution between the two heat exchangers 1 and 2, humidification in one heat exchanger 1 and dehumidification in the other heat exchanger 2 are continuously performed. In order to forcibly circulate such a moisture absorptive and desorptive solution, a circulation pump 4 is provided in the connecting pipe 3 as shown in FIG. When the heat exchangers 1 and 2 and the connecting pipe 3 are arranged so as to circulate in the circulation path by natural convection based on the above, the circulation pump 4 is not necessarily provided. Also, heaters 6 and 6
Is not limited to the case where the heat exchangers 1 and 2 are provided, but the humidity controller having the above configuration can be operated if provided at least on one of the heat exchangers 1 and 2 on the moisture release side. Further, the heat exchangers 1 and 2 are not limited to being formed in a tube shape, but only the heat exchanger 1 on the moisture releasing side may be formed in a tube shape.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 16 of the separate type air conditioner equipped with the humidity controller as described above. A suction port 11 and a blowout port 12 are provided below the suction port 11 on the front surface of the casing of the indoor unit 10 (on the left side in the drawing).
An air flow passage 13 leading to 12 is formed. An indoor heat exchanger is provided on the air flow passage 13 at a position behind the suction port 11.
14 is installed upright, and a blower fan 15 is arranged closer to the outlet 12 than the indoor heat exchanger 14. And outdoor unit
An outdoor heat exchanger 17 and an outdoor fan 18 are arranged at 16. The first heat exchanger 1 and the second heat exchanger 2 in the humidity controller are on the back of the indoor heat exchanger 14 and the outdoor heat exchanger 17, respectively.
, And the connection pipes 3 and 3 are connected to the heat exchangers 1 and 2 via the on-off valves 20. The connecting pipes 3 and 3 are made of highly flexible cross-linked polyethylene, and as shown in FIG. 5, the two connecting pipes 3 and 3 are formed in contact with each other at their side portions so that heat can be exchanged. There is. The connection pipes 3 and 3 made of such a material have corrosion resistance to the moisture absorptive and desorptive solution flowing inside, and the connection pipes 3 and 3 are blocked even when the connection pipes 3 and 3 are deformed. Can be prevented.

Further, by making the connecting pipes 3 and 3 capable of exchanging heat in this way, the operation efficiency of the humidity controller is improved because of the following reasons. That is, the high-temperature moisture-absorption / desorption solution heated in the first heat exchanger 1 on the high temperature side flows toward the second heat exchanger 2 on the low temperature side in the one passage 21 and the other passage 21
When the low temperature moisture absorbing / releasing solution flows toward the first heat exchanger 1 on the high temperature side after being cooled by the second heat exchanger 2 on the low temperature side, heat is exchanged between the two heat exchangers 1, 2. While the moisture absorptive and desorptive solution before flowing through both the passages 21 and 22, the low temperature solution is heated and at the same time, the high temperature solution is cooled and exchanges heat with each other. As a result, the temperature range required for heating and the temperature range required for cooling are both reduced.

The connecting pipes 3 and 3 may be formed in a double concentric manner as shown in FIG. 6, and in this case, one passage 21 is formed inside the connecting pipe 3 on the inner side, and the inner and outer sides are formed. The other passage 22 is formed between the connecting pipes 3 and 3. Therefore, since the one passage 21 is surrounded by the other passage 22 over the entire circumference, heat generated between the two passages 21 and 22 prior to the inflow to the first and second heat exchangers 1 and 2 is increased. The heat exchange efficiency of exchange is further improved.

In the air conditioner having the above configuration, first, the operating state during heating operation will be described.By operating the blower fan 15, the indoor air sucked from the suction port 11 is heated when passing through the indoor heat exchanger 14, and thereafter. The air is blown into the room from the air outlet 12 to heat the room. At this time, since the first heat exchanger 1 is located in the flow passage of the heated air after passing through the indoor heat exchanger 14, it is maintained at a high temperature state. As a result, as described above, The water vapor partial pressure of the moisture absorptive and desorptive solution in the first heat exchanger 1 becomes higher than the water vapor partial pressure of the circulating air, whereby moisture is released and the circulating air is humidified. On the other hand, the second heat exchanger 2 arranged outdoors has a low temperature temperature at which the vapor partial pressure of the moisture absorptive and desorptive solution inside is lower than the vapor partial pressure of the outside air due to the low temperature outside air flowing into this space. As a result, water is absorbed from the outside air. In addition, the hygroscopic and hygroscopic solution is circulated in the circulation path by the forced circulation by the pump 4, and as a result, the hygroscopic and hygroscopic solution has become hot in the first heat exchanger 1 and is radiated to the air blown into the room. After that, moves to the inside of the second heat exchanger 2 and becomes a low temperature state, and as a result, a cycle in which moisture is absorbed from the outside air continuously occurs on the side of the second heat exchanger 2.

On the other hand, when performing the cooling operation in the air conditioner having the above-mentioned configuration, the first heat exchanger 1 is kept in the low temperature state by the circulating air that is cooled when passing through the indoor heat exchanger 14 and is blown out into the room. As a result, moisture is absorbed in the moisture absorbing / releasing solution inside, and the circulating air is dehumidified.
At this time, at the same time, the second heat exchanger 2 is brought into the high temperature state by the high temperature outside air to release the moisture to the outside air, and is operated in the absorbing and releasing state in the cycle reverse to the heating operation. The Rukoto.

In the air conditioner equipped with the above humidity controller, for example, the saturated steam pressure of the moisture absorbing / releasing solution inside the second heat exchanger 2 is lower than the steam partial pressure of the outside air during the cooling operation, and thus the second heat exchange is performed. When there is a possibility that moisture will not be released on the side of the heat exchanger 2, the second heat exchanger 2 is heated by the heater 6 to raise its temperature, so that the heat released on the side of the second heat exchanger 2 can be further improved. It can be done reliably, and as a result,
It is possible to continue and reliably dehumidify the indoor air during the cooling operation. On the contrary, when the first heat exchanger 1 is dehumidified during the heating operation, the first heat exchanger 1 is heated by the heater 6 to increase the saturated steam pressure of the moisture absorbing / desorbing solution to release the moisture. It becomes possible to perform it more reliably.

As described above, in the humidity controller according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the heaters 6, 6 are built in the pipe 5,
The amount of heat generated by the heaters 6, 6 can be effectively used, the heating efficiency of the moisture absorptive and desorptive solution can be increased, and the surface areas of the heat exchangers 1, 2 can be sufficiently secured. Further, since the tube-shaped pipe 5 is spirally wound to form the both heat exchangers 1 and 2, the surface area of the heat exchangers 1 and 2 with respect to the constituent volume can be increased, and the compact heat exchanger 1, 2 can be provided.

Further, since the pair of connecting pipes 3 and 3 are arranged so as to be capable of heat exchange, when the moisture absorbing / releasing solution flows through the connecting pipes 3 and 3, the solution flowing through the connecting pipes 3 and 3 is heat-exchanged. Thereby, the heat can be cooled and heated prior to the heat exchange in the first and second heat exchangers 1 and 2, and the thermal efficiency is further improved.

Although the specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, a heat exchanger. The constituent materials 1 and 2 and the moisture absorptive and desorptive solution can be configured by using other materials and other solutions having the same functions and characteristics other than those described above. In addition, the above-described humidity controller is configured, for example, by arranging the two heat exchangers 1 and 2 inside and outside, respectively, to be configured as a device independent of the air conditioner, or is configured by being installed in a device other than the air conditioner. Further, although the separate type air conditioners have been described in the above embodiments as examples, the present invention can be applied to other types of air conditioners.

(Effect of the invention) As described above, in the humidity controller according to the first aspect, the saturated vapor pressure of the moisture absorbing / releasing solution of the heat exchanger on the moisture releasing side is lower than the vapor partial pressure of the outside air, so When there is a risk that moisture will not be generated, the moisture absorbing / releasing solution inside the heat exchanger can be heated directly by the heater so that moisture can be released more reliably. It is possible to continue and reliably perform.

Moreover, since the linear heater is arranged inside the tubular heat exchanger, the surface area of the heat exchanger does not decrease as in the conventional case, and the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger is maintained high. be able to. At the same time, the heating efficiency of the moisture absorbing / releasing solution by the heater is also improved.

Further, in the humidity controller according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the heat exchanger is spirally wound, the surface area of the heat exchanger with respect to the constituent volume can be increased, and the heat exchanger can be made compact. It will be possible.

Further, in the humidity controller according to the third aspect, since the pair of connecting pipes are arranged so that heat can be exchanged with each other, the moisture absorptive and desorptive solutions are mutually heat-exchanged prior to heat exchange in both heat exchangers. As a result, the thermal efficiency can be further improved.

Further, in the humidity controller according to the fourth aspect, since the connecting pipe is formed of cross-linked polyethylene, the corrosion resistance can be improved and the flexibility is further enhanced, so that the connecting pipe can be easily arranged.

Further, in the humidity controller according to the fifth aspect, since one passage is surrounded by the other passage, the heat exchanger efficiency in the above-mentioned connecting pipe is further improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view showing a humidity controller according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a heat exchanger, FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a penetrating portion of a lead wire, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a connecting pipe, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the connecting pipe, FIG. 7 is a graph of aqueous solution concentration-saturated water vapor pressure, FIG. 8 is a schematic structural view of a conventional example, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are sectional views showing a conventional heat exchanger, respectively. 1 ... 1st heat exchanger, 2 ... 2nd heat exchanger, 3 ... connection piping, 6 ... heater.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An annular circulation path is formed by connecting two heat exchangers (1) (2) made of a porous material permeable to water vapor with connecting pipes (3) (3) to each other. , The circulation path is filled with a moisture absorptive and desorptive solution such as an aqueous solution of lithium chloride that absorbs and discharges water according to the difference in the saturated steam pressure with respect to the partial pressure of steam in the atmosphere, and the one heat exchanger ( 1) is maintained at a temperature at which the saturated steam pressure of the moisture absorbing / releasing solution in the heat exchanger (1) is higher than the steam partial pressure in the atmosphere around the heat exchanger (1), while the heat of the other is maintained. The exchanger (2) is maintained at a temperature at which the saturated water vapor pressure of the moisture absorptive and desorptive solution in the heat exchanger (2) becomes lower than the water vapor partial pressure in the atmosphere around the heat exchanger (2), One of the heat exchanges is configured by circulating the moisture absorbing / releasing solution in the circulation path. A humidity controller configured to release moisture on the side of (1) and absorb moisture on the side of the other heat exchanger (2), wherein the heat exchanger (1) on the moisture release side is formed into a tube shape, A humidity controller characterized in that a linear heater (6) is arranged in the tubular heat exchanger (1). 2. A humidity controller according to claim 1, wherein the tubular heat exchanger (1) is spirally wound. 3. The humidity according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pair of connecting pipes (3) (3) on the going side and the returning side are arranged so as to be able to exchange heat with each other. Adjuster. 4. A humidity controller according to claim 3, wherein the connecting pipes (3) (3) are made of cross-linked polyethylene. 5. The inside and outside 2 of the pair of connecting pipes (3) (3)
The humidity controller according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the humidity controller is formed in multiple layers.