JPH1176739A - Electrochemical dehumidifying storehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely prevent a large amt. of oxygen from being accumulated in a cabinet by providing a closing lid for closing an opening to keep the cabinet airtight on the anode side or cathode side of an electrochemical element. SOLUTION: A closing lid 12 for closing an opening 3 to keep a cabinet 1 airtight is provided on the anode 5 side of an electrochemical element 4. When the inside of the cabinet 1 reaches a desired humidity, a control signal for closing the lid 12 and a control signal for stopping the supply of power to the element 4 is outputted from a controller 14 based on the detection signal of a humidity sensor 13, hence the opening 3 of the cabinet 1 is closed by the lid 12, and the operation of the element 4 is stopped at the same time. Consequently, the cabinet 1 is kept airtight, the oxygen enriching action due to the water electrolysis on the anode 5 is stopped, the inside of the cabinet 1 is maintained at a low humidity, and the increase in oxygen gas is blocked.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrochemical dehumidifying storage for dehumidifying an atmosphere in a space to be dehumidified as a storage room for various articles by an electrochemical element.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In this type of dehumidifying storage, as shown in FIG. 4, an opening 3 communicating from the inside to the outside is formed in a cabinet 1 forming a dehumidified space 2 serving as a storage room for various articles. At the same time, a hydrogen ion exchange membrane is formed between the anode 5 that generates oxygen by electrolyzing water and the cathode 6 that reacts hydrogen ions with oxygen to generate water or water vapor. The electrochemical device 4 having a laminated structure in which the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 7 is sandwiched has an opening with the electrode surface 5a of the anode 5 facing the inside of the cabinet 1 and the electrode surface 6a of the cathode 6 facing the outside of the cabinet 1. It is attached so as to close the part 3.

An electrochemical element 4 has an anode 5 around its periphery.
While being sandwiched between a pair of feeders 8 and 8 that are stacked and mounted on the respective electrode surfaces 5a and 6a of the cathode 6 and the cathode 6, the periphery thereof is fastened to the insulating resin frame 9 and
The periphery of the resin frame 9 is fixed with an adhesive and gas-sealed, and the resin frame 9 is fixed to the periphery of the opening 3 from the inside of the cabinet 1 with an adhesive or the like. Then, the anode 5 and the cathode 6 of the electrochemical element 4 are connected to an external power supply 10 installed inside the cabinet 1 via power feeders 8 and 8, and a predetermined DC voltage is applied between the electrodes 5 and 6. It is supposed to be.

Each of the anode 5 and the cathode 6 is formed of a porous base material, and a part of each of the anode 5 and the cathode 6 is cut into the surface of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 7. When a DC voltage is applied from the external power supply 10 to
At the anode 5, a reaction of the following formula (1) for electrolyzing water occurs, and the atmosphere in the dehumidification space 2 on the anode 5 side is dehumidified, and at the same time, oxygen is enriched. _{2H 2 O → O 2 + 4H} + + 4e - ····· (1)

Then, hydrogen ions (H ⁺ ) generated at this time move from the anode 5 side to the cathode 6 side through the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 7, and electrons (e ⁻ ) are passed through the circuit of the external power supply 10. 6 and at its cathode 6,
The reaction of hydrogen ion and oxygen reacts to generate water or water vapor according to the following formula (2), and at the same time as being humidified,
Oxygen is consumed. O ₂ + 4H ⁺ + 4e ⁻ → 2H ₂ O (2)

[0006]

However, at this time, if the humidity difference between the inside and the outside of the cabinet 1 is too large, the water vapor in the high humidity air from the outside of the cabinet 1 is formed by the porous substrate. As a result, the water continuously permeates the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 7 as water through the cathode 6, and a reaction for electrolyzing the water is constantly generated at the anode 5, and the dehumidification formed inside the cabinet 1 is generated. In space 2, oxygen continues to increase abnormally.

For this reason, the concentration of active oxygen generated from the anode 5 and the concentration of ozone generated as a by-product increase, and the oxidation of foods and the like stored in the space 2 to be dehumidified is promoted. In the case of an airtight structure, there is a danger that the flammable or ignitable properties of various storage items may increase due to the accumulation and filling of the supportive oxygen gas therein, and the internal pressure of the cabinet 1 rises abnormally. There was also a risk that some of the storage could be damaged.

In view of such circumstances, as shown in FIG. 4, it has been proposed to provide an air vent hole 11 in the upper part of the cabinet 1 to discharge oxygen gas filled in the cabinet 1 to the outside. The hole 11 is, for example, a cabinet 1 having an internal volume of 450 liters, and is selected to have an opening area of 40 mm ^{2. Since} high-humidity air enters the cabinet 1 from the outside to the inside through the hole 11, the space to be dehumidified It was difficult to reduce the relative humidity in 2 to 30% or less.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing the cabinet 1 in which moisture penetrating from the outside of the cabinet 1 to the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 7 through the cathode 6 of the electrochemical element 4 is provided without the air vent hole 11. It is an object of the present invention to reliably prevent a large amount of oxygen gas from being accumulated and filled in the cabinet 1 by being electrolyzed.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a cabinet forming a space to be dehumidified as a storage room for various articles, in which an opening is formed from the inside to the outside. At the same time, in the opening, a solid polymer electrolyte serving as a hydrogen ion exchange membrane is provided between an anode that electrolyzes water to generate oxygen and a cathode that reacts hydrogen ions with oxygen to generate water or water vapor. An electrochemical device having a laminated structure in which the membrane is sandwiched is attached so that the electrode surface of the anode faces the inside of the cabinet, the electrode surface of the cathode faces the outside of the cabinet, and closes the opening. In the electrochemical dehumidifying storage, an opening / closing lid for closing the opening and keeping the inside of the cabinet airtight is provided on the anode side or the cathode side of the electrochemical element. That.

According to the present invention, the electrochemical element is operated to dehumidify the dehumidified space formed inside the cabinet, and when the dehumidified space is dehumidified to a desired humidity, The opening of the cabinet to which is attached is closed with an opening / closing lid to keep the inside of the cabinet airtight and to stop the operation of the electrochemical element.

Thus, the inside of the cabinet is maintained at a desired humidity, and the oxygen enrichment action by the anode of the electrochemical element is stopped, and the increase of the oxygen gas inside the cabinet is stopped.

When the humidity in the space to be dehumidified becomes higher than a desired humidity by a certain degree or more with the passage of time or the like, the opening / closing lid closing the opening of the cabinet is opened, and the electrochemical element is simultaneously opened. Is restarted to dehumidify the inside of the cabinet to a desired humidity.

Thereafter, by repeating the above operation, it is possible to reliably prevent a large amount of oxygen gas from accumulating and filling the inside of the cabinet, and to dehumidify the inside of the cabinet to a low humidity of 30% or less relative humidity. Can also.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of an electrochemical dehumidifying storage according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial sectional views showing modifications thereof. The parts corresponding to those of the conventional dehumidifying storage shown in FIG.

The dehumidifying storage of the present invention shown in FIG.
The fundamental difference from the conventional dehumidifying storage shown in FIG. 4 is that the cabinet 1 is not provided with the air vent hole 11 as shown in FIG. 4 and that the opening 3 is provided on the anode 5 side of the electrochemical element 4. The point is that an opening / closing lid 12 for hermetically closing and holding the inside of the cabinet 1 airtight is provided.

Further, the dehumidifying storage of the present invention includes a humidity sensor 13 for detecting the humidity in the cabinet 1, and automatically controls the opening and closing of the open / close lid 12 based on a detection signal of the humidity sensor 13, and an external power supply. 10 to electrochemical element 4
4 is also different from the dehumidification storage in FIG. 4 in that a control device 14 for turning on / off the power supply to the power supply is provided. The opening / closing lid 12 is a sliding-type door such as a sliding door that is opened and closed by a motor (not shown) supplied with power from the external power supply 10. The element 4 is hermetically fixed with an adhesive or the like to the insulating resin frame 9 on which the element 4 is fitted. Note that the cabinet 1 is provided with an opening / closing door 16 for taking in and out of articles stored in the cabinet 1.

The electrochemical device 4 used in the dehumidifying storage of the present invention has an anode 5 and a cathode 6 each having a thickness.
It is composed of a titanium substrate having a thickness of 0.06 mm and an effective film area of 100 × 100 mm, and a 1 μm-thick platinum-plated porous substrate. The porous substrate is not limited to a titanium mesh sheet, but may be formed of a fiber sheet formed of nickel, tantalum, stainless steel, carbon, or the like, or a sheet formed while maintaining porosity. .

As the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 7 sandwiched between the anode 5 and the cathode 6, a 170 μm-thick Nafion membrane (Nafion: trade name of DuPont) is used, and a Nafion solution (5 wt. % Aqueous alcohol solution) mixed with platinum black and dried, and 0.5mg / unit area
/ Cm ² of platinum black is carried on the anode and cathode surfaces.

Then, a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 7 is sandwiched between the anode 5 and the cathode 6, and they are heated at a temperature of 170 ° C. and 50 kg / cm.
After hot-pressing and joining at a pressure of ^2, an external power source 10 is applied to the periphery of the electrode surfaces 5a, 6a of the anode 5 and the cathode 6, respectively.
Are attached to the insulating resin frame 9, and the periphery of the resin frame 9 is gas-sealed and fixed, whereby the electrochemical element 4 is formed.

The above is an example of the configuration of the dehumidifying storage according to the present invention. FIG.
The conventional dehumidifying storage shown in Fig. 1 is operated under the condition that a DC voltage of 3 V is applied to the electrochemical element 4 (effective film area 100 x 100 mm) and the ambient environment is room temperature 20 ° C and humidity 90%. The oxygen gas generated from the electrode surface 5a of the anode 5 is 0.4 liter / hr, and when the cabinet 1 has an internal volume of 450 liters and does not have the air vent hole 11, it is continuously operated for 1000 hours or more. The concentration of the oxygen gas in the cabinet 1 becomes 90% or more, and the articles stored in the dehumidified space 2 are in a dangerous state where they are easily ignited or ignited.

On the other hand, in the dehumidifying storage of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, the interior of the cabinet 1 has a desired humidity (for example,
When the humidity reaches 10% (relative humidity), a control signal for closing the opening / closing lid 12 and a power supply from the external power supply 10 to the electrochemical element 4 are supplied from the control device 14 based on the detection signal of the humidity sensor 13 for detecting the humidity. A control signal to stop the operation is output, and the opening 3 of the cabinet 1 is closed by the opening / closing lid 12, and at the same time, the operation of the electrochemical element 4 is stopped.

Accordingly, the inside of the cabinet 1 is kept airtight, and the oxygen enrichment action by the electrolysis of water at the anode 5 of the electrochemical element 4 is stopped, so that the inside of the cabinet 1 is maintained at a low humidity. At the same time, an increase in the oxygen gas inside is prevented, and the power consumption of the electrochemical element 4 is also reduced.

The amount of oxygen gas generated in the cabinet 1 during the dehumidification of the 450 liter cabinet 1 from room temperature 20 ° C. to relative humidity 90% to 10% is only 3.9 liters. When this is expressed as an increase rate of oxygen gas in the cabinet 1, it corresponds to 0.9% or less, and such an increase rate does not increase the flammability of various articles stored in the dehumidified space 2. The internal pressure of the cabinet 1 does not increase.

Further, when the operation of the electrochemical element 4 is stopped, the opening 3 of the cabinet 1 to which the electrochemical element 4 is attached is closed with the opening / closing lid 12, so that moisture can enter the cabinet 1 from outside to inside. Since permeation can be prevented, when the electrochemical element 4 is operated, a dehumidifying performance of 7.0 cc / hr (a dehumidifying ability of reducing the relative humidity from 90% to 10%) is obtained, and a low humidity of 10% or less relative humidity is obtained. Dehumidification up to the region becomes possible.

Further, the humidity of the dehumidified space 2 is increased by a certain degree or more because the open / close door 16 is opened / closed or high-humidity outside air enters the inside of the cabinet 1 through a gap between the openable door 16 and the open / close lid 12. And the temperature sensor 1 that detected it
3, a control signal for opening the opening / closing lid 12 and a control signal for restarting the power supply to the electrochemical element 4 from the external power supply 10 are output from the control device 14, and the opening and closing of the opening 3 of the cabinet 1 are performed. At the same time that the closed state of the lid 12 is released, the electrochemical element 4 is restarted, and the atmosphere in the dehumidified space 2 is reduced to a desired humidity.

The opening / closing lid for closing the opening 3 of the cabinet 1 is not limited to the sliding door as shown in FIG. 1, but may be a single-opening door 17 as shown in FIG.
Alternatively, the opening / closing lid 18 formed of a rotary door as shown in FIG. 3 may be used. That is, the opening / closing lid 17 in FIG. 2 is a single-opening door that is opened by a motor or a cylinder (not shown) driven and controlled by a control signal of the control device 14 so that the lower end is lifted with the upper end serving as a fulcrum. It is composed of

The opening / closing lid 18 shown in FIG. 3 is a rotary door such as a throttle valve or a louver provided in a pipe or duct 19 which communicates with the opening 3 of the cabinet 1 and protrudes outside the cabinet 1. The opening 3 is sealed from the cathode 6 side of the electrochemical element 4.

[0029]

According to the present invention, the electrochemical dehumidifying storage is
A large amount of oxygen gas accumulates and fills the interior of the cabinet that forms the dehumidification space, which is a storage room for various items, and there is no danger of ignition or ignition, or damage to the cabinet. The relative humidity 30%
There is a very excellent effect that it can be dehumidified to the following low humidity. In addition, there is an effect that the power consumption of the electrochemical element that performs dehumidification can also be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an electrochemical dehumidifying storage according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a modification of the dehumidifying storage shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a modification of the dehumidification storage shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a conventional electrochemical dehumidification storage.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Cabinet 2 ... Space to be dehumidified 3 ... Opening 4 ... Electrochemical element 5 ... Anode 6 ... Cathode 7 ... ... Solid polymer electrolyte membrane 12 ... Open / close lid 13 ... Humidity sensor 17 ... Open / close lid 18 ... Open / close lid

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Mitsuyuki Imaizumi 1993-1 Hamakawa Nitta, Oto-cho, Ogasa-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture Inside of Optec Didi Melco Laboratory Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tokushi Yokomatsu Ogasa-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture 1993-1 Higashicho Hamakawa Nitta Inside Optec Didi Melco Laboratory Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Teruaki Ikutame Inside Optec Didi Melco Laboratories Co., Ltd. 72) Inventor Seiichi Sato 1993-1, Hamakawa Nitta, Daito-cho, Ogasa-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture Inside the Optec Didy Melco Laboratory (72) Inventor Hideo Nagai 1993 Hamakawa-Nitta, Oto-cho, Ogasa-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture -1 Inside the Optec Didi Melco Laboratory (72) Inventor Mitsuhiro Nakamura 1993-1 Hamakawa Nitta, Oto-gun, Ogasa-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture Inside the Optec Didi Melco Laboratory (72) The inventor Mound Hideyuki Motomoto 1993-1 Hamakawa Nitta, Daito-cho, Ogasa-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture Inside the Optec Didi Melco Laboratory (72) Inventor Kenro Mitsuda 2-3-2 Marunouchi 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Electric Co., Ltd. In-company (72) Inventor Shiro Yamauchi 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cabinet forming a space to be dehumidified, which is a storage room for various articles, is provided with an opening communicating from the inside to the outside, and in the opening, water is electrolyzed to generate oxygen. An anode having a laminated structure in which a solid polymer electrolyte membrane serving as a hydrogen ion exchange membrane is sandwiched between a cathode that generates water or water vapor by reacting hydrogen ions and oxygen with hydrogen ions and oxygen, The anode of the electrochemical element (4) is provided in an electrochemical dehumidification storage installed so as to close the opening with its surface facing the inside of the cabinet and the electrode surface of the cathode facing the outside of the cabinet. On the (5) side or the cathode (6) side, an opening / closing lid (12, 17, 18) for sealing the opening (3) and keeping the inside of the cabinet (1) airtight is provided. Electrochemistry characterized by Dehumidification storage. 2. The electrochemical dehumidifying storage according to claim 1, wherein said opening / closing lid (12, 17, 18) comprises a sliding door, a one-sided door, or a rotating door. 3. The opening / closing lid (12, 17, 18) is automatically opened / closed based on a detection signal of a humidity sensor (13) for detecting humidity in the cabinet (1). 2. The electrochemical dehumidifying storage according to 2.