JPH11309341A - Catalyst structure and air conditioner equipped therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the peeling of a catalyst layer in a catalyst structure to enhance the reliability of the catalyst structure. SOLUTION: The surface of a metal base material 23 having a predetermined shape is oxidized to form a metal oxide film 41 and a lower film 42 comprising a ceramics film having a dense and tight structure is formed on the metal oxide film 41. An upper film 43 comprising a ceramics layer having a coarse and porous structure and a large specific surface area is formed on the lower film 42 and a catalyst layer 44 containing an air cleaning catalyst is formed on the upper film 43. The metal base material 23 having these films formed thereon and a heater are integrally formed to constitute a catalyst structure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a catalyst structure provided with an air purifying catalyst for deodorizing or detoxifying odorous substances or harmful substances in air and an air conditioner provided with the catalyst structure. In particular, it relates to measures for improving the reliability of the catalyst structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, interest in removing odors and harmful gases has been increasing as the airtightness of buildings and houses has improved. On the other hand, conventionally, various proposals have been made on measures for removing odorous substances or harmful substances from the air.

First, the most common method is to remove odorous substances or harmful substances from air by adsorbing them on an adsorbent. According to this method, odor substances and the like can be removed with a simple configuration. However, since the adsorption of odor substances and the like by the adsorbent is physical adsorption or chemical adsorption, saturation occurs when a predetermined amount of an inhaled substance is adsorbed. Deodorizing performance is reduced. Therefore, it is necessary to change the adsorbent periodically, for example, every few months, and excessive labor and cost are required to maintain the deodorizing performance. Furthermore, some types of odorous substances or harmful substances cannot be adsorbed by the adsorbent, and this method cannot reliably purify air.

There is also a method of deodorizing or detoxifying odorous substances or harmful substances by burning them at high temperatures.
This method requires a large amount of equipment and a large amount of energy to maintain a high temperature state. Therefore, this method is of limited use when treating large amounts of odorous or harmful substances, such as purifying factory exhaust gas.

There is also a method of deodorizing or detoxifying odorous substances or harmful substances by oxidative decomposition using ozone gas. In order to perform this method, equipment for decomposing and removing ozone remaining in the air is required in addition to equipment for generating ozone. This is because ozone is harmful to the human body, and it is necessary to remove residual ozone that has not been used for decomposition of odorous substances and the like from purified air. Therefore, the configuration for air purification is complicated, and there is also a problem in terms of safety.

There is also a method for deodorizing or detoxifying odorous substances or harmful substances by oxidative decomposition using a photocatalyst. In order to carry out this method, an ultraviolet lamp for irradiating the photocatalyst with ultraviolet rays is necessary in order to sufficiently activate the photocatalyst, but the life of such an ultraviolet lamp is generally short. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the ultraviolet lamp periodically, for example, every several months to reliably perform air purification, and excessive labor and cost are required to maintain the deodorizing performance.

Further, a catalyst is activated by heating it to a relatively low temperature of about 200 to 300 ° C.
There is also a method of deodorizing or detoxifying odorous substances or harmful substances by oxidative decomposition. According to this method, 200-300 ° C.
The catalyst may be heated to a certain extent, and a relatively simple heating means such as an electric heater can be used. Also,
The catalyst does not need to be replaced as in the case of the adsorbent. Therefore,
With a simple configuration, odor substances or harmful substances can be reliably deodorized or made harmless over a long period of time.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-2137 discloses a specific structure for deodorizing or detoxifying odorous substances or harmful substances using the above-mentioned catalyst, that is, for purifying air. Such a catalyst structure has been proposed.

That is, an electric resistor which is an electric heater;
A catalyst structure is constituted by a metal substrate, a hollow layer formed on the surface of the metal substrate, and a catalyst layer formed on the surface of the hollow layer and containing a catalyst. Then, a current is supplied to the electric resistor to heat the catalyst layer and activate the catalyst. In this state, the catalyst structure is brought into contact with air containing an odorous substance or a harmful substance, and the activated catalyst decomposes the odorous substance or the harmful substance to purify the air.

[0010]

However, when heating and cooling are repeated in the above-described catalyst structure, there is a problem that the catalyst layer is peeled off. Specifically, the metal base, the enamel layer, and the catalyst layer constituting the catalyst structure have significantly different coefficients of thermal expansion. For this reason, when electricity is supplied to the electric resistor to heat the catalyst structure, thermal stress acts between the metal base material, the hollow layer and the catalyst layer.
That is, when heating and cooling of the catalyst structure are repeated, thermal stress repeatedly acts on the catalyst layer, so that the catalyst layer is separated. When the catalyst layer containing the catalyst that decomposes odorous substances and the like is peeled off, the deodorizing performance of the catalyst structure is reduced, and there is a problem that air purification cannot be performed reliably.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above point, and prevents the catalyst layer in the above-mentioned catalyst structure from peeling off.
An object is to improve the reliability of a catalyst structure.

[0012]

According to the present invention, a metal oxide film (41), a lower film (42) and an upper film (43) having different coefficients of thermal expansion are formed on the surface of a metal member. A catalyst layer (44) is formed on the film (43) to form a catalyst structure (2
0).

Specifically, a first solution of the present invention is to provide a heating element (21), a metal member joined to the heating element (21), and a metal member formed on a surface of the metal member. An oxide film (41), an underlayer film (42) formed on the metal oxide film (41) and comprising a dense and tight ceramic film, and an underlayer film (42) formed on the underlayer film (42). An upper film (43) composed of a porous ceramic film having a coarse structure, and an air purifying catalyst formed on the upper film (43) to deodorize or detoxify odorous or harmful substances in the air by decomposing them. And a catalyst layer (44) containing at least a catalyst structure (20).

[0014] A second solution taken by the present invention is:
In the first solution, the heating element (21) is one or more heaters selected from a sheath heater, a semiconductor heater, a ceramic heater, a nichrome wire, and a Kanthal wire.

[0015] A third solution taken by the present invention is:
In the first or second solution, the metal oxide film (41) is integrally formed on the surface of the metal member by oxidizing the metal member.

A fourth solution taken by the present invention is:
In any one of the above-mentioned first to third means, the catalyst layer (44) comprises an air purifying catalyst, an adsorbent comprising one or more substances selected from zeolite, high silica zeolite and activated carbon. Is provided.

Further, a fifth solution taken by the present invention is:
In any one of the first to fourth solutions, the air purifying catalyst is selected from Al ₂ O ₃ , ZrO ₂ , CeO ₂ , SiO ₂ and zeolite, and ZrO ₂ or CeO ₂ is essential. One or more metal oxides or a mixture of a metal oxide and a composite oxide of a metal is used as a carrier, and the metal oxide-based carrier is selected from Ag, Pd, Pt, Mn and Rh as a catalyst component. And at least one metal, an alloy containing the metal or an oxide of the metal, or a mixture of two or more thereof.

A sixth solution taken by the present invention is:
In any one of the first to fifth solving means, the metal member is a honeycomb-shaped metal base (23) having a large number of air flow paths (24).

A seventh solution taken by the present invention is:
In any one of the first to fifth solving means, the metal member is a fin member (25) including a large number of fin portions (27) for increasing an area of contact with air.

Further, an eighth solution taken by the present invention is as follows.
In the seventh solution, the heating element (21) may include a straight rod-shaped linear portion (21a), and the fin portion (27) of the fin member (25) may be provided in the longitudinal direction of the linear portion (21a). It is formed in a plate shape extending in a direction orthogonal to the direction.

Further, a ninth solution taken by the present invention is as follows.
In the seventh or eighth solution, the fin member (2
5) is composed of a fin portion (27) and a fin base portion (28) provided with the fin portion (27), while the fin base portions (28) of the two fin members (25) form a heating element (21). The fin member (25) and the heating element (21) are integrally formed by sandwiching the fins and fixing the two fin bases (28) to each other.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned eighth aspect, a heating element is formed in a cross-shaped cut (31) formed in a fin portion (27) of a fin member (25). By inserting the straight portion (21a) of (21), the fin member (25) and the heating element (21) are integrally formed.

Further, an eleventh solution adopted by the present invention is a catalyst structure (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
0) and a fan (17) are housed in a casing (11), and the odorous or harmful substances contained in the room air are decomposed and deodorized or detoxified by the catalyst structure (20). This constitutes an air conditioner that purifies air.

In the first solution, the metal oxide film (41) and the lower film (4) having different thermal expansion coefficients are formed on the surface of the metal member.
2), an upper film (43) and a catalyst layer (44) are formed in order. That is, between the metal member and the catalyst layer (44), the coefficient of thermal expansion of each film changes stepwise. Therefore, when the catalyst structure (20) is heated by the heating element (21), the metal member, the metal oxide film (41), the lower film (42), the upper film (43) and the catalyst layer (44) The thermal stress generated between each other is reduced.

The metal oxide film (41), the lower film (42) and the upper film (43) have different specific surface areas. That is, the specific surface area of each of the coatings increases stepwise between the metal member and the catalyst layer (44). Then, a catalyst layer (44) is formed on the upper layer film (43) formed of a porous ceramic film having a coarse structure, that is, a porous ceramic film.

On the surface of the metal member, there are formed a metal oxide film (41) and a lower film (42), which is a dense and tight ceramic film. Therefore, odorous substances or harmful substances include, for example, corrosive substances such as ammonia. On the other hand, the metal oxide film (41) and the lower layer film (42) make the odorous substances or harmful substances harmful. Contact with the metal member is prevented.

In the second solving means, the heating element (21) is constituted by a predetermined heater which generates heat when energized.

In the third solution, the metal oxide film (41) is formed on the surface of the metal member by oxidizing the vicinity of the surface of the metal member by an oxidation treatment.

[0029] In the fourth solution, the catalyst layer (44) is provided with an air purifying catalyst and an adsorbent composed of a predetermined substance. Then, even when the catalyst structure (20) is not heated by the heating element (21), the air is purified by adsorbing the odorous substance or the harmful substance to the adsorbent. Further, when the adsorbent is saturated by adsorbing a predetermined amount of odorous substances or the like, the catalyst structure (20) is heated by the heating element (21) to regenerate the adsorbent. Specifically, by heating the adsorbent, odorous substances or harmful substances are desorbed from the adsorbent. On the other hand, the air purifying catalyst is heated and activated, and decomposes the desorbed odorous substance or harmful substance to make it odorless or harmless.

[0030] In the fifth solution, the air purifying catalyst is constituted by the predetermined substance.

In the sixth solution, the metal member is constituted by a honeycomb-shaped metal base (23) having a large number of air flow paths (24) and having an increased contact area with air.

In the seventh solution, a metal member is constituted by a fin member (25) having a large number of fin portions (27), and the fin member (27) is used to separate the fin member (25) from air. The contact area is enlarged.

In the eighth solution, the linear portion (21a) of the heating element (21) and the fin portion (27) of the fin member (25) are arranged at predetermined relative positions. Therefore, the fins (2) are uniformly distributed over the entire surface of the fins (27).
7) Contact with air. That is, if a large number of fins are radially provided on the straight portion (21a) of the heating element (21) in a posture parallel to the longitudinal direction of the straight portion (21a), the flow of air near the heating element (21) is obstructed. On the other hand, the heating element (2
When the straight portion (21a) and the fin portion (27) of 1) are provided orthogonally, even when a large number of the fin portions (27) are provided, the air is uniform between the fin portions (27). Distribute to.

[0034] In the ninth solution, the heat generating element (21) is sandwiched between the fin bases (28) of the two fin members (25) to form an integral catalyst structure (20). Therefore, the contact between the heating element (21) and the fin member (25) is ensured, and the heat of the heating element (21) is surely transferred to the fin member (2).
It is told to 5).

In the tenth solution, the straight portion (21a) of the heating element (21) is easily inserted into the cut (31) provided in the fin portion (27) of the fin member (25). To form an integral catalyst structure (20).

[0036] In the eleventh solution, in the catalyst structure (20), the catalyst of the catalyst layer (44) includes a heating element (2).
Activated by heating by 1). Meanwhile, fans (1
The indoor air is sucked into the casing (11) by 7), and the sucked indoor air comes into contact with the catalyst structure (20). At that time, the odorous substance or harmful substance in the room air is decomposed by the catalyst activated by heating, and purified air is generated. Thereafter, the purified air is blown back into the room to purify the room air.

[0037]

Therefore, according to the above-mentioned solution, the coefficient of thermal expansion between the metal member and the catalyst layer (44) can be changed stepwise. Accordingly, when the catalyst structure (20) is heated by the heating element (21), the metal member, the metal oxide film (41), the lower layer film (42), the upper layer film (43) and the catalyst layer (44) interact with each other. The thermal stress generated between them can be reduced, and peeling of the catalyst layer (44) can be prevented. As a result, even when the catalyst structure (20) is repeatedly heated and cooled, the separation of the catalyst layer (44) can be prevented, and the reliability of the catalyst structure (20) can be reliably improved. .

Further, since the specific surface area of each of the above-mentioned films is gradually increased between the metal member and the catalyst layer (44), the specific surface area of the catalyst layer (44) can be surely increased. Therefore, a larger amount of the air purification catalyst can be provided in the catalyst structure (20), and at the same time, the catalyst layer (44) can be provided.
The contact area between the air and the air can be significantly increased.
As a result, the air purifying catalyst can be reliably brought into contact with the odorant or the harmful substance, and the performance of the catalyst structure (20) can be improved.

Further, contact between the metal member and odorous substances can be prevented by the metal oxide layer and the lower layer film (42). As a result, the corrosion of the metal member due to the corrosive gas can be prevented, and the reliability of the catalyst structure (20) can be reliably improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the metal oxide film (41) is formed by oxidizing the metal member itself, the metal member and the metal oxide film (41) are formed.
Can be surely integrally formed.

According to the fourth solution, since the adsorbent is provided in the catalyst layer (44) together with the air purifying catalyst, the catalyst structure (20) is not heated by the heating element (21). Also, air purification can be performed by the adsorption action of the adsorbent. As a result, it is possible to perform air purification without increasing the temperature of the purified air, and it is possible to prevent an increase in the indoor air conditioning load, particularly, the cooling load due to the air purification. In addition, the adsorbent can be regenerated by heating with the heating element (21). For this reason, the adsorption performance of the adsorbent can be maintained for a long time, and in this case also, the reliability of the catalyst structure (20) can be improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the catalyst structure (20) is formed by using a metal substrate (23) formed in a predetermined shape and having an increased contact area with air as a metal member.
Can be configured. As a result, the catalyst structure (20)
Can be reduced in size.

According to the seventh and eighth solutions, a fin member (25) having a fin portion (27) of a predetermined shape and having an increased contact area with air is used as a metal member. A catalyst structure (20) can be configured. As a result, the size of the catalyst structure (20) can be reduced.

In particular, in the eighth solution, the linear portion (21a) of the heating element (21) and the fin portion (27) of the fin member (25) are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other. Therefore, even when increasing the number of fins (27) in order to increase the contact area with the air, as in the case where the linear portions (21a) and the fins (27) are arranged in a parallel posture, The flow of air near the straight portion (21a) is not hindered by the fin portion (27). Therefore, the heating element (21)
As a result, the fin portion (27) can be uniformly heated throughout, and the catalyst layer (44) can be heated on the front surface of the fin portion (27).
Can be activated. As a result, air can be reliably purified by the catalyst structure (20).

Further, according to the ninth and tenth solving means, the fin member (25) and the heating element (21) can be surely integrally formed, and the catalyst structure (20) can be surely formed. can do. Further, the heat of the heating element (21) can be reliably transmitted to the fin member (25), and the catalyst structure (20) can exhibit sufficient performance.

Further, according to the eleventh solution, the catalyst structure (20) of the present invention can be incorporated in the air conditioner (1, 2), and the air conditioner (1, 2) allows the air conditioner (1, 2) to incorporate the air. Can be reliably purified.

[0047]

Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, an air purifier (1), which is an air conditioner, has a catalyst structure (20) characterized by the present invention.
Is housed in a casing (11) together with a fan (17), and is installed in a room or the like to purify indoor air.

The casing (11) of the air purifier (1)
Has a suction port (12) on the front surface and an air outlet (13) on the top surface, and the inside of the casing (11) has a suction port (1).
An air passage (14) is formed from 2) to the outlet (13). And inside the casing (11),
Located in the air passage (14), the pre-filter (15), the electrostatic precipitator (16), the catalyst structure (20), and the fan (17) are arranged in order from the suction port (12) to the air outlet (13). ) And are arranged.

The pre-filter (15) is configured to collect relatively large dust and the like among the suspended matter contained in the room air. In addition, the electric dust collecting section (16) is configured to apply a charge to a floating substance in the air using corona discharge, and to collect the charged floating substance on an electrode.

As shown in FIG. 2, the catalyst structure (20) includes a main body member (22) and a heater (21) provided integrally with the main body member (22).

The main body member (22) includes a metal substrate (23) formed in a predetermined shape, a metal oxide film (41) formed on the surface of the metal substrate (23) in order, and a lower layer film (41). 42), an upper film (43) and a catalyst layer (44).

The metal substrate (23) is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and in a honeycomb shape. The metal substrate (23) is formed with a plurality of purification passages (24), which are a large number of air flow paths communicating from the front surface to the rear surface.
In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the purification passage (24) is square, but may be other shapes, for example, triangular or hexagonal.

As shown in FIG. 3, on the surface of the metal substrate (23), in order from the metal substrate (23) side, a metal oxide film (41), a lower film (42) and an upper film (42). 43) and a catalyst layer (44) are formed. The metal oxide film (41)
Is formed on the surface of the metal substrate (23) by oxidizing the metal substrate (23) itself. The lower layer coating (4
2) The structure is constituted by a dense and tight ceramic film, and together with the metal oxide film (41), is configured to prevent the contact of the odorant or harmful substance in the air with the metal substrate (23). I have. The upper film (43) is formed of a ceramic film having a coarse structure and a porous structure, that is, a porous film having a large specific surface area. The catalyst layer (44)
It contains an air purifying catalyst that deodorizes or deodorizes odorous substances or harmful substances, and is formed in the form of an upper film (43) having a large specific surface area.

The above air cleaning catalyst is composed of Al ₂ O ₃ , ZrO ₂ , CeO ₂ , Si
Selected from O ₂ and zeolite and ZrO ₂ or Ce
One or more kinds of metal oxides which essentially require O ₂ or a mixture of the metal oxide and a metal composite oxide is used as a carrier, and the metal oxide-based carrier contains Ag, Pd, Pt, Mn and Rh
And at least one metal selected from the group consisting of a metal, an alloy containing the metal or an oxide of the metal, and a mixture of two or more thereof.

The heater (21) is made of nichrome wire and is arranged on the side of the main body member (22). And
The heater (21) generates heat when energized and generates a main body member (22).
The heating element is configured to heat the whole. Note that the heater (21) is not limited to a nichrome wire, and may be made of another material, for example, a Kanthal wire, or may be a combination of two or more types.

The fan (17) is a substantially disc-shaped turbo fan, and is provided so that the rotation axis is horizontal. Although not shown, a fan motor is attached to the fan (17). And the fan (17)
Is driven to rotate by a fan motor, and the fan (17)
It is configured to blow out the air sucked in from the front in the radial direction.

-Operating operation- The operating operation of the air purifier (1) of the present embodiment will be described. The fan (17) rotates, and indoor air containing an odorous substance or a harmful substance flows from the suction port (12) through the casing (12). 11) Inhale into. The indoor air flows through the air passage (14), and floating substances such as dust contained in the contaminated air are removed by the pre-filter (15). Further, the indoor air is removed in the electric precipitator (16) by removing the suspended matter that could not be removed by the pre-filter (15).
Flow to 0).

The room air flowing to the catalyst structure (20) flows into each purification passage (24) and comes into contact with the main body member (22).
On the other hand, in the catalyst structure (20), when the heater (21) is energized, the main body member (22) is heated, and the catalyst of the catalyst layer (44) is activated. Therefore, when the room air flows through the purification passage (24), the odorous substance or the harmful substance in the room air comes into contact with the activated catalyst. Then, the activated catalyst oxidizes and decomposes the odorous substance or harmful substance to make it odorless or harmless. As a result, the indoor air is purified and becomes purified air, and flows out of the purification passage (24) of the catalyst structure (20). The purified air passes through the fan (17), and is then blown back into the room from the outlet (13).

The main body member (22) is heated by the heater (21).
When is heated, the metal substrate (23), the metal oxide film (41), the lower film (42), the upper film (43) and the catalyst layer (44) constituting the main body member (22) thermally expand. At this time, since the thermal expansion coefficients of these portions are different, thermal stress acts due to the difference in the amount of thermal expansion of each portion. If the thermal stress is excessive, it causes the catalyst layer (44) to peel off. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the metal oxide film (41), the lower film (42) and the upper film (43) are formed, and the space between the metal substrate (23) and the catalyst layer (44) is formed. , The coefficient of thermal expansion changes stepwise. For this reason, the difference in the amount of thermal expansion between the metal substrate (23), the metal oxide film (41), the lower film (42), the upper film (43) and the catalyst layer (44) is reduced. Is reduced.

Further, the metal oxide film (41) and the lower layer film (42) formed on the surface of the metal member prevent the contact between the odorant or harmful substance and the metal substrate (23). Therefore, contact between the corrosive gas such as ammonia and the metal base (23) is prevented, and corrosion of the metal base (23) is prevented.

According to the first embodiment, the metal substrate (23) and the catalyst layer (44) are used.
In between, the coefficient of thermal expansion can be changed stepwise. Therefore, the catalyst structure (20) is heated by the heater (21).
Can reduce the thermal stress generated between the metal substrate (23), the metal oxide film (41), the lower film (42), the upper film (43) and the catalyst layer (44) when heated. It is possible to prevent peeling of the catalyst layer (44). As a result, even when the catalyst structure (20) is repeatedly heated and cooled, peeling of the catalyst layer (44) can be prevented,
The reliability of the catalyst structure (20) can be reliably improved.

Further, since the specific surface area of each of the above-mentioned films is gradually increased between the metal substrate (23) and the catalyst layer (44), the specific surface area of the catalyst layer (44) is surely increased. be able to. Therefore, a larger amount of the air cleaning catalyst can be provided in the catalyst structure (20), and at the same time, the contact area between the catalyst layer (44) and the air can be significantly increased. As a result, the air purifying catalyst can be reliably brought into contact with the odorant or the harmful substance, and the performance of the catalyst structure (20) can be improved.

The contact between the metal substrate (23) and odorous substances can be prevented by the metal oxide layer and the lower layer film (42). As a result, corrosion of the metal substrate (23) by corrosive gas can be prevented, and the reliability of the catalyst structure (20) can be reliably improved.

Further, since the metal oxide film (41) is formed by oxidizing the metal substrate (23) itself, the metal substrate (23) and the metal oxide film (41) can be securely connected. It can be integrally formed.

Further, since the catalyst structure (20) is constituted by the honeycomb-shaped metal base material (23) having an increased contact area with air, the size of the catalyst structure (20) can be reduced. it can.

[0067]

[Embodiment 2] The second embodiment of the present invention is directed to the air cleaner (1) of the first embodiment, wherein the catalyst structure (2
4), the catalyst structure (20) of the present embodiment is integrated by sandwiching a rod-shaped heater (21) between two body members (22), as shown in FIG. Is formed.

The main body member (22) is provided with a fin member (25).
A metal oxide film (41), a lower film (42), an upper film (43), and a catalyst layer (44) formed in this order on the surface of the heat sink (26). is there. That is, in the first embodiment, the metal oxide film (41) and the lower film (4) are formed on the surface of the metal substrate (23).
2) Each of these film layers is formed on the surface of the heat sink (26) in the same manner as the formation of the upper film (43) and the catalyst layer (44). Therefore, the metal oxide film (41), the lower film (42), and the upper film (4
The configurations of 3) and the catalyst layer (44) are the same as in the first embodiment.

The heat sink (26) is composed of a thick plate-shaped fin base (28) and a large number of quadrangular prism-shaped fins (27). The fins (27) are provided upright on one surface of the fin base (28). The other surface of the fin base (28) is provided with a mounting groove having a shape corresponding to the rod-shaped heater (21). The main body member (22) has a film formed on the surface of the heat sink (26), and the main body member (22) and the heat sink (26) have the same shape.

The rod-shaped heater (21) is constituted by a sheath heater, and a plurality of the heaters (21) are provided so that the longitudinal directions of the heaters (21) are parallel to each other. In addition, heater (21)
The heater is not limited to the sheath heater, and may be constituted by another heater such as a semiconductor heater or a ceramic heater, or may be a combination of two or more heaters.

The rod-shaped heater (21) is sandwiched between the two main body members (22) to form an integral catalyst structure (20). Specifically, two body members (22)
Are arranged such that the surfaces of the fin bases (28) in which the mounting grooves are formed face each other, and the heater (21) is positioned in the mounting grooves.
Is provided. Then, the heater (2
1) sandwich the fin base (28) of each body member (22)
They are fastened and fixed by bolts (29).

-Operating operation- In the air cleaner (1) of the present embodiment, the casing (1
The operation of sucking room air into 1), purifying the room air in the catalyst structure (20), and blowing it out into the room is the same as in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the catalyst structure (2
0), the operation of purifying the indoor air will be described.

The room air that has flowed into the catalyst structure (20) flows while being in contact with a large number of fin portions (27) of the main body member (22). On the other hand, in the catalyst structure (20), the heater (2
By energizing 1), the body member (22) is heated,
The catalyst in the catalyst layer (44) is activated. Therefore, on the surface of the fin portion (27), the odorous substance or the harmful substance in the room air comes into contact with the activated catalyst. Then, the activated catalyst oxidizes and decomposes the odorous substance or harmful substance to make it odorless or harmless.

The metal oxide film (41), the lower film (42), the upper film (43) and the catalyst layer (44) are formed in this order on the surface of the heat sink (26) to act on these parts. The operation for reducing the thermal stress is the same as in the first embodiment. Further, the operation of preventing the contact between the odorant or the harmful substance and the heat sink (26) by the metal oxide film (41) and the lower layer film (42) is also described in the first embodiment.
Is the same as

According to the second embodiment, the same effects as those obtained in the first embodiment can be obtained.

-Modification of Embodiment 2- In this embodiment, the heat sink (26) is formed by erection of the quadrangular prism-shaped fin (27) on the fin base (28). As shown in FIG. 5, a large number of thin fins (27) may be erected on the fin base (28) with the surfaces of the fins (27) facing each other. Further, although the heater (21) is formed in a rod shape, it may be formed in a hairpin shape to provide a linear portion (21a) having a predetermined length.

[0077]

Third Embodiment The third embodiment of the present invention is directed to the air cleaner (1) of the first embodiment, wherein the catalyst structure (2
As shown in FIG. 6, the catalyst structure (20) of the present embodiment has a configuration in which a rod-shaped heater (21) is passed through a large number of deodorizing fins (30). It is formed integrally.

The deodorizing fins (30) are arranged on the surface of the thin fin member (25) in order from the fin member (25) side.
Metal oxide film (41), lower film (42) and upper film (4
3) and a catalyst layer (44). That is,
The fin member is formed in the same manner as the metal oxide film (41), the lower film (42), the upper film (43) and the catalyst layer (44) are formed on the surface of the metal substrate (23) in the first embodiment. These films are formed on the surface of (25).
Therefore, the configurations of the metal oxide film (41), the lower film (42), the upper film (43), and the catalyst layer (44) in the present embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the entire fin member (25) forms a fin portion (27).

The rod-shaped heater (21) is constituted by a sheath heater, and a plurality of the heaters (21) are provided in such a manner that the longitudinal directions of the heaters (21) are parallel to each other. For this reason, in the heater (21), the entire heater (21)
a) is configured. Incidentally, the heater (21) is not limited to the sheath heater, and may be constituted by another member, for example, a semiconductor heater or a ceramic heater, or may be a combination of two or more types.

Then, a mounting hole having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the rod-shaped heater (21) is formed in each of the fin members (25), and the heater (21) is made to pass through the mounting hole, so that the deodorizing fin (25) is formed. 30) and the heater (21) form an integral catalyst body.

-Operating operation- In the air purifier (1) of the present embodiment, the casing (1
The operation of sucking room air into 1), purifying the room air in the catalyst structure (20), and blowing it out into the room is the same as in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the catalyst structure (2
0), the operation of purifying the indoor air will be described.

The room air flowing to the catalyst structure (20) flows while contacting the deodorizing fins (30). On the other hand, in the catalyst structure (20), when the heater (21) is energized, the main body member (22) is heated, and the catalyst of the catalyst layer (44) is activated. Therefore, on the surface of the deodorizing fin (30), the odorous substance or harmful substance in the room air comes into contact with the activated catalyst. Then, the activated catalyst oxidizes and decomposes the odorous substance or harmful substance to make it odorless or harmless.

Further, since the heater (21) is provided so as to penetrate the deodorizing fin (30), the deodorizing fin (30) and the heater (21) are arranged in a posture orthogonal to each other. For this reason,
Even when the deodorizing fins (30) are increased to increase the contact area between the catalyst structure (20) and the air, the air flows uniformly between the fin portions (27).

The metal oxide film (41), the lower layer film (42), the upper layer film (43) and the catalyst layer (44) are formed in this order on the surface of the fin member (25), so that these parts act. The operation of reducing the thermal stress is the same as in the first embodiment. Further, the operation of preventing the odor substance or the harmful substance from coming into contact with the fin member (25) by the metal oxide film (41) and the lower layer film (42) is also the same as in the first embodiment.

-Effects of Third Embodiment- According to the third embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects obtained in the first embodiment.

That is, in the present embodiment, the straight portion (21a) of the heater (21) and the deodorizing fin (30) are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other. Therefore, even when the number of the deodorizing fins (30) is increased in order to increase the contact area with the air, the linear portion (21a) and the deodorizing fins (30) are arranged in a parallel posture. The flow of air near the straight portion (21a) is not hindered by the deodorizing fins (30). For this reason, the deodorizing fin (30) can be uniformly heated by the heater (21) over the entire surface, and the catalyst of the catalyst layer (44) can be activated over the entire surface of the deodorizing fin (30). As a result, the catalyst structure (20) can exhibit sufficient performance.

-Modification of Embodiment 3- In this embodiment, a predetermined mounting hole is formed in the fin member (25), and a rod-shaped heater (21) is passed through the mounting hole to form the catalyst structure (20). However, instead of this, as shown in FIG. 7, a predetermined cross-shaped cut (31) is formed in the fin member (25) and the cut (31) is cut through. To the deodorizing fins (30) and heater (2
1) may be penetrated. The heater (2
Although 1) is formed in a bar shape, it may be formed in a hairpin shape to provide a linear portion (21a) having a predetermined length.

[0088]

Other Embodiments In the first to third embodiments, the catalyst structure (20) is incorporated in the air cleaner (1). However, as shown in FIG. The catalyst structure (20) may be incorporated in 2) to perform both temperature control and purification of indoor air.

More specifically, the casing (11) of the indoor unit (2) has a suction port (12) in the upper front part and an air outlet (13) in the lower front part. An air passage (14) communicating from the suction port (12) to the outlet (13) is formed. The indoor heat exchanger (18) and the cross-flow fan (17) are located in the air passage (14) of the casing (11) together with the prefilter (15) and the catalyst structure (20). Deploy. The above catalyst structure (2
The configuration of 0) is the same as that of each embodiment.

The operation of the indoor unit (2) will be described. First, the indoor air sucked from the air inlet (12) by the fan (17) removes dust contained in the indoor air in the pre-filter (15). Is done. Thereafter, the room air flows into the catalyst structure (20), and the catalyst structure (2)
O) removes odorous substances or harmful substances to produce purified air. Thereafter, the purified air exchanges heat with the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioner in the indoor heat exchanger (18) to be cooled or heated, and is blown out from the outlet (13).

In the first to third embodiments, only the air purifying catalyst is provided on the catalyst layer (44) of the catalyst structure (20). Instead, the air purifying catalyst and the adsorbent are replaced with each other. It may be provided. The adsorbent is composed of one or more substances selected from zeolite, high silica zeolite and activated carbon.

In this case, even when the catalyst structure (20) is not heated by the heater (21), the air is purified by adsorbing the odorous substance or the harmful substance to the adsorbent. When the adsorbent is saturated by adsorbing a predetermined amount of odorous substances, etc., the catalyst structure (2) is heated by the heater (21).
0) is heated to regenerate the adsorbent. Specifically,
By heating the adsorbent, odorous substances or harmful substances are desorbed from the adsorbent. On the other hand, the air purifying catalyst is heated and activated, and decomposes the desorbed odorous substance or harmful substance to make it odorless or harmless.

Therefore, according to this modification, the heater (21)
Therefore, even when the catalyst structure (20) is not heated,
Air purification can be performed by the adsorption action of the adsorbent. As a result, it is possible to perform air purification without increasing the temperature of the purified air, and it is possible to prevent an increase in the indoor air conditioning load, particularly, the cooling load due to the air purification.
Also, the adsorbent can be regenerated by heating with the heater (21). For this reason, the adsorption performance of the adsorbent can be maintained for a long period of time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an air purifier according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a catalyst structure according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view near a surface of a catalyst structure according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a catalyst structure according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a catalyst structure according to a modification of the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a catalyst structure according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a catalyst structure according to a modification of the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of an indoor unit according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 (11) Casing (17) Fan (20) Catalyst structure (21) Heater (heating element) (21a) Straight section (23) Metal substrate (24) Purification passage (air flow path) (25) Fin member (27 ) Fin (28) Fin base (31) Cut (41) Metal oxide coating (42) Lower coating (43) Upper coating (44) Catalyst layer

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A heating element (21), a metal member joined to the heating element (21), and a metal oxide film (41) formed on a surface of the metal member
A lower layer film (42) formed on the metal oxide film (41) and having a dense and tight ceramic film; and a lower layer film (42) formed on the lower layer film (42) and having a coarse and porous structure. An upper layer film (43) made of a ceramic film, and a catalyst layer formed on the upper layer film (43) and containing at least an air purifying catalyst that decomposes odorous substances or harmful substances in the air to make it odorless or harmless. 44) A catalyst structure comprising: 2. The catalyst structure according to claim 1, wherein the heating element is at least one heater selected from a sheath heater, a semiconductor heater, a ceramic heater, a nichrome wire, and a Kanthal wire. Characteristic catalyst structure. 3. The catalyst structure according to claim 1, wherein the metal oxide film (41) is integrally formed on the surface of the metal member by oxidizing the metal member. Catalyst structure. 4. The catalyst structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the catalyst layer (44) comprises an air purifying catalyst and one or more kinds selected from zeolite, high silica zeolite and activated carbon. And an adsorbent comprising a substance. 5. The catalyst structure according to claim 1, wherein the air purifying catalyst is selected from Al ₂ O ₃ , ZrO ₂ , CeO ₂ , SiO ₂ and zeolite, and comprises ZrO ₂ or ZrO _2. A mixture of one or more metal oxides essential for CeO ₂ or a composite oxide of the metal oxide and a metal is used as a carrier.
The catalyst component is formed by supporting at least one metal selected from Ag, Pd, Pt, Mn and Rh, an alloy containing the metal or an oxide of the metal, or a mixture of two or more thereof. A catalyst structure characterized in that: 6. The catalyst structure according to claim 1, wherein the metal member is a honeycomb-shaped metal base (23) having a number of air flow paths (24). Catalyst structure. 7. The catalyst structure according to claim 1, wherein the metal member is a fin member (25) having a large number of fin portions (27) for increasing a contact area with air. A catalyst structure, comprising: 8. The catalyst structure according to claim 7, wherein the heating element (21) includes a straight rod-shaped linear portion (21a), and the fin portion (27) of the fin member (25) is connected to the linear portion. (twenty one
A catalyst structure characterized by being formed in a plate shape extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of a). 9. The catalyst structure according to claim 7, wherein the fin member (25) includes a fin portion (27) and a fin base (28) provided with the fin portion (27). On the other hand, the heating element (21) is sandwiched between the fin bases (28) of the two fin members (25) and both fin bases (28) are fixed to each other, whereby the fin member (25) and the heating element (21) are fixed.
Is formed integrally with the catalyst structure. 10. The catalyst structure according to claim 8, wherein the linear portion (21a) of the heating element (21) is inserted into a cross-shaped cut (31) formed in the fin portion (27) of the fin member (25). By inserting the fin member (25) and the heating element (2
(1) A catalyst structure characterized by being integrally formed. 11. A casing (11) comprising: the catalyst structure (20) according to claim 1; and a fan (17).
The odorant or harmful substance contained in the indoor air is decomposed by the catalyst structure (20) to make it odorless or harmless, and the indoor air is purified. Air conditioner.