JPH1015043A - Deodorant heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently adsorb and decompose all kinds of malodorous and odorous components including neutral odorous components and to make these components odorless by coating the surface of the effective exothermic part of a tubular heater with a catalyst layer having active carbon, the oxide of transition metal elements, zeolite, active alumina, silica and platinum metals. SOLUTION: This deodorant heater 33 has the catalyst coating layer 37 on the surface of the effective exothermic part of the tubular heater 36 provided with an electric resistance wire 35. This catalyst coating layer 37 has at least the active carbon, the oxide of the transition metal elements, the zeolite, the active alumina, silica and the platinum metals. When the deodorant heater 33 is energized, the catalyst coating layer 37 is heated in the entire circumferential direction by the heat generation of the electric resistance wire 3 and heats the deodorant heater 33 rapidly up to its activation temp. At this time, the odorous components adsorbed thus far on the catalyst coating layer 37 are released and are simultaneously oxidation decomposed by the chemical effect of the catalyst material, by which the odorous components are made odorless. The adsorption capability of the catalyst coating layer 37 is regenerated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a deodorizing heater having a function of removing malodorous components including neutral odor components.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the case of refrigerators, for example, various foods such as vegetables, meat, fish, etc. generate odors in the refrigerator, and the odors are circulated in a closed system in the refrigerator, so that the odor is muffled. This smell was attached to the food, thus deteriorating the quality of the food.

[0003] In order to solve these problems, for example, there is a heater for deodorizing a refrigerator as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-281177.

Hereinafter, a conventional heater for deodorizing a refrigerator will be described. FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the refrigerator showing a state in which the conventional deodorizing heater is arranged in the refrigerator, FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a main part of the conventional deodorizing heater, and FIG. It is a front view.

First, in FIG. 4, 1 is a refrigerator main body, 2 and 3 are freezing and refrigerating compartments formed therein, and 4 and 5 are doors. Reference numeral 6 denotes a cooler provided in a cooler room 7 at the back of the freezing room 2, and reference numeral 8 denotes a fan provided above the cooler 6.

When the fan 8 is driven, a part of the air cooled by the cooler 6 is supplied from the supply port 9 into the freezing compartment 2, and the air in the freezing compartment 2 is cooled through the return duct 10. It is circulated so as to be returned into the equipment room 7 and the inside of the freezing room 2 is cooled.

[0007] A part of the air cooled by the cooler 6 is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 3 through the supply duct 11, and the air in the refrigerator compartment 3 is returned to the cooler room 7 through the return duct 12. And the inside of the refrigerator compartment 3 is cooled. In this case, the cooler room 7 and the refrigerator room 2
The return duct 10 forms a circulation path through which the air in the freezer 2 circulates.

[0008] The cooler room 7, the supply duct 11, the refrigerating room 3, and the return duct 12 constitute a circulation path through which the air in the refrigerating room 3 circulates.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a cooler 6 at the lower part of the cooler room 7.
Is a tubular heater having a configuration in which a heater wire 13b is provided in a glass tube 13a as shown in FIG. 5, and is energized only when the cooler 6 is defrosted. The cutoff control is performed so that the cutoff occurs.

Numeral 14 designates a water droplet preventing member provided on the deodorizing heater 13 so as to cover the heater from above, and is made of a metal plate such as aluminum having heat resistance and water resistance, as shown in FIG. It is formed in the shape of a shallow container with an open lower side, and prevents defrosting water from being applied to the deodorizing heater 13 when the cooler 6 is defrosted.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a catalyst coating layer, which is formed by using a catalyst material of a platinum group metal supported on alumina together with a noble metal as a catalyst material and a silica gel binder, adding zeolite to the catalyst coating layer, and adsorbing odorous substances. Is increased. Further, the zeolite contains Cu ion-exchange type A-type zeolite, thereby increasing the adsorption characteristics of methyl mercaptan.

The operation of the above-configured refrigerator deodorizing heater will be described below.

In the above configuration, during the cooling operation, the air in the refrigerator is blown by the fan 8 so that the air in the cooler room 7 and the freezing room 2
And is circulated through the cooler room 7, the supply duct 11, the refrigeration room 3 and the return duct 12. At this time, the air passing through the cooler room 7 comes into contact with the catalyst coating layer 15, and the odor component contained in the air is adsorbed by the catalyst coating layer 15 and removed.

On the other hand, when the defrosting operation is started, the cooler 6
And the operation of the fan 8 is stopped,
Is energized and generates heat. Due to the heat generated by the deodorizing heater 13, the cooler 6 is heated to perform defrosting, and at the same time, the catalyst coating layer 15 is heated. Heated catalyst coating layer 15
, The adsorbed odor component is deodorized, and at the same time,
The odor components are oxidatively decomposed and removed.

The heating of the catalyst coating layer 15 regenerates the adsorption function, that is, the deodorizing function. At this time, the water droplet preventing member 14 functions to efficiently heat the catalyst coating layer 15 by confining the heat from the deodorization heater 13 downward, and to provide the catalyst coating layer 15 and the deodorization heater 13 with the heat from the cooler 6. Prevents defrosting water from splashing.

When the defrosting operation is completed and the cooling operation is restarted, and the temperature of the catalyst coating layer 15 decreases, the odor component contained in the air in the refrigerator is adsorbed by the catalyst coating layer 15 in the same manner as described above. Will be removed.

[0017]

However, in the above-mentioned structure, it is possible to adsorb and decompose acidic or basic odors such as trimethylamine generated from meat and fish and methyl mercaptan generated from vegetables and the like. It is impossible to adsorb and decompose neutral odor components such as acetaldehyde generated.

According to the present invention, it is an object of the present invention to provide a deodorizing heater for efficiently adsorbing and decomposing and deodorizing any malodorous odor components including neutral odor components.

[0019]

According to the deodorizing heater of the present invention, a catalyst coating layer containing at least activated carbon, an oxide of a transition metal element, zeolite, activated alumina, and a platinum group metal is provided in a tubular shape containing an electric resistor. It covers the whole or a part of the effective heat generating portion on the surface of the heater. According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a deodorizing heater that efficiently adsorbs and decomposes and removes any malodorous odor component including a neutral odor component.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a tubular heater having a built-in electric resistor, in which at least all or part of the surface of an effective heat generating portion is activated carbon, an oxide of a transition metal element, zeolite, activated alumina, silica and platinum. According to this configuration, the deodorizing catalyst layer containing activated carbon is provided with a neutral odor component such as acetaldehyde, which is a neutral odor component, which cannot be adsorbed in the past. Is more efficiently adsorbed by a physical adsorption mechanism of an adsorbent such as activated carbon, and has an effect of being oxidized and decomposed and deodorized when the heater is heated by a catalytic action of an oxide of a transition metal element and a platinum group metal. Furthermore, it also has a function of deodorizing odor components other than neutral odor components by adsorption and oxidative decomposition.

[0021]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an upper portion of a refrigerator showing a state in which a deodorizing heater according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in a refrigerator. FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a main portion of the deodorizing heater of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cutaway front view of the deodorizing heater of the embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 21 denotes a refrigerator body,
22 and 23 are freezing and refrigerating compartments formed therein, and 24 and 25 are doors. 26 is a cooler installed in a cooler room 27 behind the refrigerator compartment 22, and 28 is a cooler 26
Is a fan installed above. When the fan 28 is driven, a part of the air cooled by the cooler 26 is supplied from the supply port 29 into the freezing room 22, and the air in the freezing room 22 is returned to the cooler room 27 via the return duct 30. The freezing compartment 22 is cooled by the circulation.

A part of the air cooled by the cooler 26 is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 23 via the supply duct 31, and the air in the refrigerator compartment 23 is returned to the cooler room 27 via the return duct 32. The cooling chamber 23 is cooled by the circulation. In this case, the cooler room 27, the freezing room 22, and the return duct 30 constitute a circulation path through which air in the freezing room 22 circulates, and the cooler room 27, the supply duct 31,
The refrigerating room 23 and the return duct 32 constitute a circulation path through which the air in the refrigerating room 23 circulates.

Reference numeral 33 denotes a deodorizing heater disposed below the cooler 26, which is an effective heating portion of a tubular heater 36 having an electric resistance wire 35 provided in a glass tube 34 as shown in FIGS. Has a catalyst coating layer 37 on the surface thereof. The catalyst coating layer 37 is formed by using a catalyst such as activated carbon and a metal oxide such as manganese dioxide, perovskite-type metal oxide, hexaaluminate or copper oxide, platinum metal supported on alumina or the like as a suitable binder, for example, alumina sol, silica gel. And the like.

The deodorizing heater 33 also serves as a defrost heater of the refrigerator, and is energized only when the cooler 26 is defrosted.
In other cases, power cutoff control is performed such that the power is cut off.
Numeral 38 denotes a water droplet preventing member provided to cover the deodorizing heater 33 from above in order to prevent the defrost water from splashing on the deodorizing heater 33. Become.

In the above description, the example in which the heater incorporating the electric resistor is formed of a glass tube has been described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to other metal tubes and ceramics tubes.

During the operation of the refrigerator, the air in the refrigerator is circulated through the cooling chamber 27, the freezing chamber 22 and the return duct 30 by the blowing action of the fan 28, and the cooling chamber 27,
It is circulated through the supply duct 31, the refrigerator compartment 23 and the return duct 32. At this time, the air (any malodorous odor component including the neutral odor component) passing through the inside of the cooler room 27 comes into contact with the deodorizing heater 33, and the odor component is adsorbed on the catalyst coating layer 37 and removed.

Next, when the defrosting operation is started, the cooling device 2
While the operation of the fan 6 and the fan 28 is stopped, the deodorizing heater 33 is energized to generate heat. Since the catalyst coating layer 37 of the deodorizing heater 33 is installed so as to cover the outer periphery of the glass tube 34, the heater is heated in the entire circumferential direction from the electric resistance wire 35, and the deodorizing heater 33 is heated to the activation temperature in a short time. Can be

At this time, the catalyst coating layer 37 of the deodorizing heater 33
The odor component adsorbed on the catalyst is released by heating the catalyst coating layer 37 to the activation temperature, and at the same time, is oxidized and decomposed by the chemical action of the catalyst substance to become odorless. Then, the adsorption ability of the catalyst coating layer 37 is regenerated.

The catalyst coating layer 37 is made of activated carbon and a metal oxide such as manganese dioxide, perovskite-type metal oxide and hexaaluminate, or a catalyst material such as copper oxide and platinum group metal supported on alumina. , Alumina sol, silica gel and the like. Among these, from the viewpoint of heat resistance and poisoning resistance, it is preferable to use copper oxide or an alumina platinum group metal as the catalyst coating material. As for the adsorbent for neutral odor components such as acetaldehyde, it is preferable to use activated carbon which mainly performs physical adsorption.

Further, it is desirable that the catalyst coating layer 37 contains silica. By containing silica, the adhesion of the catalyst coating layer 37 to the exterior of the heating element such as a glass tube can be strengthened.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, at least the activated carbon, the oxide of the transition metal element, the zeolite, the activated alumina, and the silica are provided on the whole or a part of the effective heat generating portion on the surface of the tubular heater containing the electric resistor. And a catalyst coating layer containing a platinum group metal, the structure is simple, requires little space when installed, and all odor components including neutral odor components such as acetaldehyde which could not be adsorbed in the past. Can be efficiently decomposed to decompose and deodorize, and even if the temperature of the heat generating portion is raised, a deodorizing heater having heat resistance in which the deodorizing performance does not decrease can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an upper part of a refrigerator showing a state in which a deodorizing heater according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed in the refrigerator.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a main part of the deodorizing heater of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cutaway front view of a main part of the deodorization heater of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the refrigerator, showing a state in which a conventional deodorizing heater is installed in the refrigerator.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a main part of a conventional deodorizing heater.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cutaway front view of a main part of a conventional deodorizing heater.

[Explanation of symbols]

 33 Deodorization heater 36 Tubular heater 37 Catalyst coating layer 38 Water droplet prevention member

Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Agency reference number FI Technical display location H05B 3/44 H05B 3/44 (72) Inventor Toshiki Maeda 4-5-2-5 Takaida Hondori, Higashi Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture No. Matsushita Refrigeration Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A catalyst comprising at least activated carbon, an oxide of a transition metal element, zeolite, activated alumina, silica, and a platinum group metal on the whole or part of the surface of an effective heat generating portion of a tubular heater incorporating an electric resistor. Deodorizing heater coated layer.