JPH1151425A - Humidifier unit and humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent substances, various germs, mold, and the like, contained in the water from being dispersed into the air. SOLUTION: A hollow fiber membrane 2 is turned down and bundled while arranging the opposite ends thereof and then individual hollow fiber membrane 2 is secured while opening the opposite ends thereof thus producing a fixed member 3. The fixed member 3 is inserted into a water supply member 4 which is then coupled with a water supply pipe 6 to form a humidifier unit 7 for constituting a humidifier.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a humidifier for dispersing water vapor into air using a hollow fiber membrane to humidify the humidifier, and a humidifying unit used for the humidifier.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, ultrasonic humidifiers, high-pressure spray humidifiers, electrothermal humidifiers, natural evaporation humidifiers and the like have been used. Since all of these humidifiers are of the type that directly evaporates or atomizes tap water stored in a water storage tank or the like and humidifies, various substances such as dust and dust contained in the water are simultaneously released into the air. And
In particular, there are problems such as germs and molds in the water being radiated as they are, causing health problems and being unusable in hospitals and the like.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier in which various substances, germs, and molds contained in water are not diffused into the air, and a humidifying unit used for the humidifier. It is in.

[0004]

According to the present invention, the following first to fourth inventions have been proposed as means for solving the above-mentioned problems. In the first invention, one end of the bundle in which a plurality of hollow fiber membranes are bundled is fixed as an open state of the individual hollow fiber membranes, and the other end of the bundle is Is closed, and a water supply unit is disposed in the fixing unit. In the second invention, the hollow fiber membrane is folded, a plurality of bundles are bundled with both ends thereof aligned, and both ends of each hollow fiber membrane are fixed in an open state to form a fixing portion. A humidification unit characterized by providing a supply unit is proposed. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the humidifying unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein water is supplied to the hollow fiber membrane from the water supply unit by its own weight. 4th
In the invention, a humidifier characterized by using any one of the humidifying units according to the first to third inventions is proposed.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a partial sectional side view showing a first example of a humidifying unit according to the present invention. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes an element, and the element 1 is a tubular member having a predetermined length. The hollow fiber membrane 2 is folded in a U-shape, and a plurality of hollow fiber membranes having both ends aligned are bundled into a plurality of columnar shapes to obtain a bundle having a circular cross section. In a state where both ends are opened in the same direction, they are integrally fixed by a fixing member 3 made of a fixing resin, and a water supply header 4 is provided on the fixing member 3. The converging shape of the hollow fiber membrane 2 is not limited to a columnar shape, and can be fixed in various shapes such as a square shape, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, an elliptical shape, and a row shape. The element 1 is generally arranged with the fixing member 3 facing upward and the U-shaped folded portion of the hollow fiber membrane 2 facing downward. That is, the U-shaped body of the hollow fiber membrane 2 is opened on one side (upward) and the other (downward).
And a plurality of the members are hung from the fixing member 3 and used.

As the hollow fiber membrane 2, for example, cellulose-based, polysulfone-based, polyvinyl alcohol-based, Teflon-based, polymethyl methacrylate-based, polyolefin-based materials such as polyethylene and polypropylene are used. For example, the following is used. Length: 10-1000 mm Inner diameter: 100-4500 μm Outer diameter: 200-5000 μm, preferably 300-10
00 μm Film thickness: 10 to 2000 μm, preferably 20 to 200 μm
m Gas flux: 1 × 10 ⁴ L / (m ² · hr · 0.5 atm) or more, preferably 1 × 10 ⁵ L / (m ² · hr · 0.5 atm) or more Bubble point: 15 kg / cm ² or less, preferably 3
kg / cm ² or less Fractionation characteristics: 0.01 μm or more, preferably 0.05 to
0.2 μm or less is preferable for removing 1.0 μm germs. Porosity: 30 to 95 vol%, preferably 50 to 90 vol% The number of hollow fiber membranes 2 used is 10 per element.
The number is about 0 to 10,000. Further, the number, size, characteristics, and the like of these hollow fiber membranes 2 are not limited to the above ranges. Further, as the hollow fiber membrane 2, a hydrophobic hollow fiber membrane is preferably used.

[0007] The size and characteristics of the hollow fiber membrane 2 in one embodiment will be described below. Inner diameter: 270 μm Outer diameter: 410 μm Film thickness: 70 μm Gas flux: 22 × 10 ⁴ L / (m ² · hr · 0.5 atm) Bubble point: 2.7 kg / cm ² Fractionation characteristics: 0.15 μm Porosity: 72 vol %, By laminating a porous layer made of a porous gas-permeable membrane on both sides of a non-porous layer made of a non-porous gas-permeable membrane as the hollow fiber membrane 2, the non-porous layer is made of the porous layer. , A three-layer composite hollow fiber membrane sandwiched between them can also be used. When the three-layer composite hollow fiber membrane is used as the hollow fiber membrane 2, the oxygen permeation rate of the non-porous gas permeable membrane is 0.6 ×
10 ^-5 cm ³ (STP) / cm ² · sec · cmHg
As described above, the non-porous gas-permeable membrane preferably has a tensile strength at break of 70 g / filament or more at a use temperature, and the three-layer composite hollow fiber membrane has a tensile strength at break of 15% or more. As a material of the non-porous gas permeable membrane, poly (4
-Methylpentene-1), polyethylene, polypropylene, segmented polyurethane and the like are used. Further, the same material is used as the material of the porous gas permeable membrane.

The fixing member 3 is made of a thermosetting resin such as formaldehyde resin, phenol resin, amino resin, unsaturated polyester resin, diallyl phthalate resin, silicone resin, epoxy resin, urethane resin, or polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, poly Using a thermoplastic resin such as a vinyl chloride resin or an acrylic resin, the ends of the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,. After being cured, the cured portion is cut, and both ends of each fixed hollow fiber membrane 2, 2,... Are opened in the same direction.

The shape of the fixing member 3 is a disk corresponding to the convergence state of the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,.

A water supply member 4 is attached to the fixing member 3. The water supply member 4 is made of metal, plastic, or the like, and has a pipe shape that opens up and down.
A fixing member 3 is inserted into the lower open end, and is fixed in a liquid-tight manner. The upper open end side of the water supply member 4 is a connecting portion 4a having a smaller diameter than the lower diameter, and the connecting portion 4a is provided with a water supply pipe 6 detachable at the connecting portion 6a. Is provided. That is, a connecting screw 4b is provided on the outer surface near the upper end of the connecting portion 4a, a connecting groove 4c is provided below the connecting screw 4b, and an elastic ring 9 is fitted into the connecting groove 4c. Have been. on the other hand,
A connecting screw female 6b corresponding to the connecting screw male 4b is provided on the inner wall of the connecting portion 6a. When the element 1 (connecting portion 4a) is rotated and inserted into the water supply pipe 6, the connecting screw male 4b is incorporated into the connecting screw female 6b, and the element 1 is screwed (screwed) to the water supply pipe 6. At the same time, they are connected in a watertight manner by the action of the elastic ring 9. In this manner, the connecting portion 4a and the connecting portion 6a are detachably connected to each other to form the humidifying unit 7 of this example.

If the connecting mechanism between the connecting portion 4a and the connecting portion 6a is a mechanism that does not fall off due to the internal pressure in the humidifying unit 7 and can be attached and detached with one touch, the water supply member 4
It is preferable because it can be easily attached to and detached from the water supply pipe 6. For example, a coupler or union made of plastic or metal is used. Further, it is preferable that the water supply pipe 6 is a flexible pipe because the attachment / detachment operation is further facilitated.
The water supply pipe 6 is made of a plastic such as polyethylene, nylon, polyvinyl chloride, or Teflon, or a metal pipe such as a stainless flexible pipe. Since the water supply pipe 6 and the water supply member 4 are detachably formed as described above, if the performance of the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,... Can be replaced. Also, the element 1 thus removed
Can be washed and reused. Examples of the cleaning method include ultrasonic cleaning, pressure bubbling cleaning, and chemical cleaning.

In forming the humidifier, for example, a water storage tank is connected to the water supply pipe 6 in an upward direction. The water or hot water in the water storage tank is dispersed by its own weight through the water supply pipe 6 and the water supply member 4 from the openings of the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,.
At this time, since the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,... Are folded back into a U shape, water is filled in the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,. In particular, when the hollow fiber membrane 2 is a hydrophobic hollow fiber membrane, the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,.
Is expelled to the outside through the fine holes in the side wall surfaces of the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,..., And the air is simultaneously removed from the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,. In this manner, the water is liquefied or oozed out from the micropores on the side walls of the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2.

When a hydrophobic material is used as the hollow fiber membrane 2, water is exuded to the surface as a gas, and when a hydrophilic material is used, the water is exuded to the surface as a liquid. At this time, if the air is fed from the side of the humidifying unit 7, the moisture and the water vapor on the surfaces of the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,... Are transferred to the air, and the air can be humidified. in this case,
Dust, dirt, sterilization, mold, etc. existing in water or hot water cannot pass through the micropores of the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,..., And sterile hygienic humidification not contaminated with these substances can be performed. it can. Further, in the case of using a three-layer composite type hollow fiber membrane constituted by providing a porous layer made of a porous gas permeable membrane on both sides of a nonporous layer made of a nonporous gas permeable membrane as the hollow fiber membrane 2, Since water permeates the hollow fiber membrane 2 as water vapor, it does not permeate inorganic substances dissolved in water or hot water, and there is no generation of white powder on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane 2 due to precipitation of the inorganic substance.

The thickness of the hollow fiber membrane 2 exemplified above is preferably designed to be slightly thicker than a hollow fiber membrane used in a general water purifier or the like. This is because when the air is pumped from the side of the humidifying unit 7, the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2. Because the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2 ... tend to decrease in strength due to mutual friction, it is necessary to improve the mechanical properties. When the hydrophobic hollow fiber membrane 2 is used, when dirt such as oil adheres to the surface of the hollow fiber membrane 2 and the thickness of the hollow fiber membrane 2 is too thin, the dirt may cause the hollow fiber membrane 2 Penetrate into the micropores,
In some cases, the micropores may reach near the inner surface of the hollow fiber membrane 2 and the hydrophobicity of the micropores may not be maintained. Then, the hollow fiber membrane 2
This is because the relationship between the supply amount of water vapor and the temperature may change due to the change in the characteristics.

The hollow fiber membranes 2, 2...
And is fixed to the fixing member 3 and the other (downward)
It only has to be closed. For example, a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,... May be bundled and folded in a U-shape, and the U-shaped aggregate may be further bundled and fixed. Also, 1
One hollow fiber membrane 2 may be folded back into a U-shape, and a plurality of such U-shaped bodies may be bundled and fixed. Further, a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,... May be assembled without being folded, and one end thereof may be fixed in an open state by the fixing member 3, while the other end may be sealed. As a method of sealing the other end, each one of the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,... May be individually sealed, or a plurality of hollow fiber membranes may be collectively fixed and sealed with a fixing resin. . Also, a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,...
Are assembled without being folded, and both ends thereof are fixed in an open state by a fixing member 3, inserted and fixed to the water supply member 4, and further connected to a connecting portion 4a of the water supply member 4 provided at one end. May be sealed. However,
When the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,... Are folded back, the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,... Are opened in one direction (upward) simply by providing a fixing portion on one side (upward), and Since it can be in a closed state, the configuration is simple, the operation for sealing is not involved, and the number of manufacturing steps is small and preferable.

The humidifying unit 7 can also fill the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,... With water by its own weight.
At this time, the fixing member 3 is disposed above, and the folded portions of the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,... Are disposed below. In forming a humidifier using the humidifying unit 7, for example, a water storage tank is provided above the water supply pipe 6 of the humidifying unit 7, and a humidifier including the humidifying unit 7 and the water storage tank can be formed. In this case, the water filled in the hollow fiber membrane 2 from the water storage tank evaporates gradually even without being blown or heated from the outside of the humidification unit 7 to humidify the surrounding air.
Gentle humidification effect is exhibited. Alternatively, the release of water vapor from the hollow fiber membrane 2 can be promoted by supplying hot water whose temperature is controlled from a water storage tank. Further, in addition to the humidifying unit 7 and the water storage tank, one or both of a blowing unit for supplying air to the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,... And a heat exchanger for heating the humidifying unit 7 (hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,. It is good also as a structure which combined. When water is supplied using a pump or the like, the arrangement direction of the humidification unit 7, the installation position of the water supply pipe 6 in the humidification unit 7, the positional relationship between the humidification unit 7 and the water storage tank, and the like are not particularly limited. .

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,... Are arranged in a sheet shape. In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes an element. This element 11
Is formed by folding a hollow fiber membrane 12 having a predetermined length into a U-shape, and bundling a plurality of the hollow fiber membranes 12 in parallel in a line, and opening both ends of the individual hollow fiber membranes 12 in the same direction. In this state, the sheet is formed into a sheet by being integrally fixed by a fixing member 13 made of a fixing resin, and a water supply member 14 is provided on the fixing member 13.

The hollow fiber membrane 12 and the fixing member 13 may be the same as the hollow fiber membrane 2 and the fixing member 3 of the first example. In this example, the shape of the fixing member 13 is a narrow ridge corresponding to the convergence state of the hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,.
And the hollow fiber membranes 12, 12, ... have a comb-like appearance.

A water supply member 14 is attached to the fixing member 13. The water supply member 14 is a pipe made of metal, plastic, or the like. One end is closed and the other end is open. One or more attachment through-grooves extending in the longitudinal direction are formed in the middle part. It was done. A fixing member 13 for fixing the aligned hollow fiber membranes 12 is inserted into the through groove of the water supply member 14,
Liquid-tight. Further, a connecting portion 16a of a water supply pipe 16 is locked and detachably attached to a connecting portion 14a at an open end of the water supply member 14 to form a humidifying unit 17 of this example. The humidification unit 17 is preferably formed from one or more elements 11. The connecting portion 14a of the water supply member 14 and the connecting portion 16 of the water supply pipe 16
It is preferable to adopt a mechanism similar to the mechanism that can be attached and detached with one touch as shown in the above-described first example, as the coupling mechanism with a.
Further, in order to facilitate the handling at the time of attachment and detachment, a support member extending vertically from both ends of the water supply member 14 and parallel to the hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,... May be provided.

When the humidifier is constructed, for example, the humidifying unit 17 holds the water supply member 14 up,
The water supply pipe 16 extends upward, and a water storage tank is connected to the other end of the water supply pipe 16. The water in the water storage tank or the hot water flows under its own weight through the water supply pipe 16 and the water supply member 14, and the hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,...
Are dispersed and filled in the hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,...
From the micropores, water is liquefied or gaseous and exudes to the outside.

The hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,... May be formed by folding a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,... Together in a U-shape, and the U-shaped aggregate may be further bundled and fixed. Alternatively, each hollow fiber membrane 12 may be folded back into a U-shape, and a plurality of the U-shaped bodies may be bundled and fixed. Also, a structure may be adopted in which a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,... Are not folded back, one end of which is fixed by a fixing member 13 in an open state, and the other end thereof is sealed. In addition, the hollow fiber membranes 12, 1
.. May be arranged in two or more rows, and their film surfaces may be arranged in parallel.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the humidifying unit according to the present invention. In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a bundle of hollow fiber membranes 2 integrated with a water supply member 4 is provided. This is a humidifying unit 7A provided with a cover 8 covering the whole. The cover 8 has a cylindrical shape that opens up and down, and its upper end opening is connected to and integrated with the lower end of the water supply member 4.
A plurality of release holes 8a, 8a
Are provided, and steam is supplied from these release holes 8a, 8a, and the lower end opening of the cover 8. Alternatively, the lower end opening may be sealed, and steam may be released only from the release holes 8a on the side surfaces.

In forming a humidifier using the humidifying unit 7A, for example, a water storage tank is provided above the water supply pipe 6 of the humidifying unit 7A, and the humidifying unit 7A is provided.
And a water storage tank. In this case, the water filled in the hollow fiber membrane 2 from the water storage tank gradually evaporates without performing blowing, heating, and the like,
Since the surrounding air is humidified, a gentle humidifying effect is exhibited. Alternatively, the release of water vapor from the hollow fiber membrane 2 can be promoted by supplying hot water whose temperature is controlled from a water storage tank. Also, the humidifying unit 7
A and a water storage tank may be combined with a heat exchanger for heating the humidifying unit 7A (the hollow fiber membranes 2, 2,...).

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a humidifier using the humidifying unit of the second example shown in FIG. Reference numeral 20 denotes a housing, and a suction-side filter 21 is provided in an opening on one side surface of the housing 20. A supply-side filter 22 is provided at an opening on a surface opposite to the installation surface of the suction-side filter 21. Then, between the suction side filter 21 and the supply side filter 22, the air blowing unit 2
4, a heat exchange unit 25 and a humidification unit 17 are provided. In the humidification unit 17, the water supply member 14
The opening at one end and the upper water storage tank 23 are connected via a water supply pipe 16, and the hollow fiber is always supplied from the water storage tank 23 by its own weight via the water supply pipe 16 and the water supply member 14. The membranes 12, 12,... Are filled with water.

The suction side filter 21 is provided so that dust and the like are not mixed in the compressed air supplied from the blower unit 24. Suction side filter 2
As 1, for example, non-woven cloth, nylon mesh, plastic fired filter, strainer, etc. are used. As the supply-side filter 22, for example, a mesh filter made of a metal such as stainless steel, a sintered filter made of plastic or the like having a relatively large hole diameter, or the like is used. The supply-side filter 22 is not essential, but is preferably provided because it has an effect of preventing dust and the like outside the humidifier from adhering to the surfaces of the hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,....

As the blower unit 24, for example, a fan, a fan or the like is used. The heat exchange unit 25
The hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,... Are preferably heated and have a temperature control function. The heat exchange unit 25 is not essential, but when the hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,... Are hydrophobic, water in the hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,. It has the effect of making it easier to do. When the hydrophilic hollow fiber membrane 12 is used,
Are provided so that the water on the surfaces of the hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,... Is quickly drained from the supply-side filter 22 together with the air sent from the blower unit 24 without dripping. The heat exchange unit 25 may not be provided, for example, when a humidifying effect is obtained by the air supply from the blower unit 24 or when a suitable temperature of hot water is supplied from the water storage tank 23.

In this humidifier, water is stored in the water storage tank 23
From the water supply pipe 16 and the water supply member 1 by its own weight.
4 are supplied to the hollow fiber membranes 12, 12. The hollow fiber membranes 12, 12,... Are heated by the heat exchange unit 25, and air is blown from the sides thereof by the blower unit 24. The humidifier is supplied to the outside through the humidifier 22.

In this humidifier, since its own weight is used, the structure is simple and the cost is low. In such a humidifier, the humidifying unit 17 of the first example shown in FIG. 1 or the humidifying unit 7A of the third example shown in FIG.
Further, in order to make the life of the hollow fiber membrane 12 longer, it is desirable that the water supplied to the water supply pipe 6 (the water storage tank 23) be subjected to a treatment such as filtration, distillation, ion exchange, or the like. . In this filtration treatment, a module using a hollow fiber membrane similar to the hollow fiber membrane 12 or a water purifier combining activated carbon can be used. Further, in the housing 20, the devices used for these filtration processes can be installed preferably in a replaceable state.

[0029]

As described above, in the humidifying unit and the humidifier of the present invention, water vapor is supplied through the hollow fiber membrane, so that water, dust, dust, sterilization, mold, etc. existing in the hot water can be removed from the hollow fiber membrane. , And sterile sanitary humidification that is not contaminated with these substances because it cannot pass through the micropores. Furthermore, by laminating a porous layer made of a porous gas-permeable membrane on both sides of a non-porous layer made of a non-porous gas-permeable membrane, the non-porous layer is sandwiched between the porous layers. In the case of using a three-layer composite type hollow fiber membrane, since water passes through the hollow fiber membrane as water vapor,
There is no permeation of inorganic substances dissolved in water or hot water, and no white powder is generated on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane due to precipitation of the inorganic substances.
Also, if the hollow fiber membrane is turned back, a plurality of bundles are bundled with both ends thereof aligned, and both ends of each hollow fiber membrane are fixed in an open state to be a fixed portion, it is only necessary to provide a fixed portion on one side. Since the hollow fiber membrane can be opened on one side and closed on the other side, the configuration is simple, the sealing operation is not involved, and the number of manufacturing steps is small. Further, the humidifier using the humidification unit of the present invention can have a structure in which the hollow fiber membrane is filled with water by its own weight from the water storage tank, so that the configuration is simple and the cost is low.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial side sectional view showing a first example of a humidifying unit of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial side sectional view showing a second example of the humidifying unit of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial side sectional view showing a third example of the humidifying unit of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the humidifier of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Element, 2 ... Hollow fiber membrane, 3 ... Fixed member, 4 ... Water supply member (water supply part), 6 ... Water supply pipe (water supply part), 7 ... Humidification unit, 7A ... Humidification unit, 11 ...
Element, 12: hollow fiber membrane, 13: fixing member, 14 ...
Water supply member (water supply unit), 16: water supply pipe (water supply unit), 17: humidifying unit, 20: housing, 21: suction side filter, 22: supply side filter, 23: water storage tank, 24: air blowing unit , 25 ... heat exchange unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. One end of a bundle in which a plurality of hollow fiber membranes are bundled is fixed as an open state of each hollow fiber membrane, and the other end of the bundle is closed. A humidifying unit characterized in that it is in a state, and a water supply unit is arranged in the fixing unit. 2. A hollow fiber membrane is folded back, a plurality of bundles are bundled with both ends thereof aligned, and both ends of each hollow fiber membrane are fixed in an open state to form a fixed portion. A humidifying unit characterized by comprising 3. The humidifying unit according to claim 1, wherein water is supplied to the hollow fiber membrane from the water supply unit by its own weight. 4. A humidifier using the humidification unit according to claim 1.