JPS6157536B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

Generally, when an air conditioner performs cooling operation, the compressor is operated to lower the surface temperature of the evaporator to a temperature lower than the dew point temperature of the indoor air, thereby processing sensible heat and latent heat, thereby increasing the temperature of the air. Both descent and dehumidification are performed.

As a result, the pressure on the low-pressure side of the refrigeration cycle becomes low, and the differential pressure between high and low pressures becomes large, creating a problem in which energy efficiency (EER) cannot be improved beyond a certain limit.

The present invention was invented to solve the above problems, and is designed to reduce or eliminate the latent heat load in the evaporator and increase the sensible heat ratio in the evaporator, thereby reducing the amount of refrigerant used in air conditioners. It is possible to raise the evaporation temperature, increase the suction pressure of the compressor, and reduce the difference between high and low pressures, and improve energy efficiency, while dehumidification is performed separately from air cooling due to the absorption action of the hygroscopic solution. It was done as it should be done. This action of absorbing moisture in the air can be achieved by forming a closed circulation path for the moisture-absorbing solution using a water-repellent porous sheet that allows air to pass through but not liquid. Moisture is absorbed into the solution through the porous sheet, the moisture in the solution thus absorbed is evaporated, the evaporated water vapor is released to the outside air through the porous sheet for regeneration, and then returned to the room to be cooled. The hygroscopic solution is circulated as if the moisture in the indoor air is absorbed by the hygroscopic solution, and the absorption heat released when the moisture in the indoor air is absorbed by the hygroscopic solution is cooled by a part of the evaporator to increase the dehumidification capacity. This made it possible to cool the air conditioner without having to replenish it.

That is, the present invention includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, and an evaporator, and is configured to perform cooling by the evaporation action of refrigerant in the evaporator, and uses a water-repellent porous sheet to allow air to pass through. A moisture absorption element and an evaporation element having a sealed chamber that does not allow liquid to pass through are formed, and these elements are connected by first and second communication pipes to form a closed circulation path for the moisture absorption solution, and the moisture absorption element is A hygroscopic solution is configured to absorb and remove moisture in the air passing through the hygroscopic element, and evaporate and release the absorbed moisture in the evaporative element, while the hygroscopic element is connected to an air flow path passing through the evaporator. At the same time, the evaporation element is arranged on the leeward side of the condenser so that the hygroscopic solution flowing through the evaporation element is heated by condensation waste heat, and the evaporation element is arranged on the inlet side of the closed chamber of the evaporation element. The inlet part of the first connecting pipe to be connected is connected to the condenser, and the inlet part of the second connecting pipe to be connected to the closed chamber inlet side of the moisture absorbing element is connected to the condenser.
The device is characterized in that it is connected to the evaporator.

Embodiments of the air conditioner of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

The basic structure of the air conditioner of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, includes a compressor 1, a condenser 2, an expansion mechanism 3, and an evaporator 4. A moisture absorption element 7 and an evaporation element 8 are configured to perform air conditioning, and have a water-repellent porous sheet 5 and a sealed chamber 6 that allows air to pass through but not liquid. 8 to the first and second connecting pipes 9,
10 to form a closed circulation path 11 for the moisture absorbing solution so that the air passing through the moisture absorbing element 7 is dehumidified by the moisture absorbing solution in the moisture absorbing element 7;
The evaporation element is configured to evaporate and release the moisture in the hygroscopic solution to regenerate the solution, while the hygroscopic element 7 is arranged in the flow path of the air passing through the evaporator 4. .

Accordingly, due to the dehumidification effect due to the circulation cycle of the hygroscopic solution, the evaporator 4 reduces or eliminates the latent heat load, increases the sensible heat ratio in the evaporator 4, and only lowers the temperature of the air. The goal is to make it possible to do so.

The moisture-absorbing solution used for dehumidification is a solution with good water absorption properties, such as an aqueous solution containing a deliquescent substance such as lithium chloride, and the solution is one that does not allow the solution to pass through, but allows air to pass through. The porous sheet 5 has water repellency and has a large number of minute holes that penetrate both sides, and is made of semipermeable membranes such as cellophane, cloth such as synthetic fibers, cotton, and nonwoven fabrics, paper such as Japanese paper, net, or powder metallurgy. , porous metal plates such as foamed metals and wire composites are treated with water-repellent materials such as silicone and fluororesin,
It is made by applying porous processing to a water-repellent resin such as Goreflon.

The sealed chamber 6 formed using the sheet 5 may be formed into a thin-walled shape or a narrow-diameter tubular shape as described later, and the sheet 5 may be formed using a hygroscopic solution filled in the sealed chamber 6 and the surrounding air. This is done in order to make the contact area through the contact area sufficiently large.

That is, the moisture absorbing element 7 and the evaporating element 8 provided with the sealed chamber 6 are preferably those having an increased contact area between the moisture absorbing solution and the surrounding air, for example, two porous sheets 5, 5 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. are polymerized by facing each other, and the periphery thereof is sealed in advance with an adhesive to form the elongated sealed chamber 6 having a thin wall as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 6 are made into a pair, one of the sheets is formed into a corrugated cross section using a conventional corrugated board forming machine, and is overlapped with the flat sheet to form a corrugated board shape.

Then, this cardboard-like material is rolled up to form a cylindrical shape with a large number of gaps as shown in FIG. At the same time, air is allowed to flow through the gap to absorb and evaporate moisture. Also, as shown in Figure 6, a large number of cardboard-like boards made by overlapping the above-mentioned flat board-like board and corrugated board-like board are stacked one on top of the other, and both upper and lower ends are connected to the headers 12, 12, respectively, and the headers 12, 12 absorb moisture. Solution communication pipes 9 and 10 may be connected. Also, instead of using the above-mentioned cardboard shape, a single porous sheet 5 is used as shown in FIG.
A planar porous sheet 5 is made by processing the material into a fin-like pattern.
They may be formed by facing each other and polymerized, the surroundings of which are sealed, and then wound as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, or formed by multiple polymerization.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, an elongated cylindrical body may be formed from the perforated sheet 5, and a large number of these cylindrical bodies may be arranged in parallel and connected at both upper and lower ends to the headers 12, 12, respectively.

When filling and circulating a hygroscopic solution into the sealed circulation path 11 passing through each of the sealed chambers 6 of the hygroscopic element 7 and evaporation element 8 formed as described above, the conditions under which the hygroscopic element 7 can absorb moisture from the air are as follows: This is when the water vapor partial pressure h ₁ (mmHg) (unit omitted below) of the inlet air on the air side to absorb moisture is greater than the water vapor partial pressure of the moisture absorption solution h ₂ , and the evaporation element 8 evaporates moisture into the air. The conditions that can be used are when the water vapor partial pressure _h2 of the inlet air on the air side to be evaporated is smaller than the water vapor partial pressure _h4 of the hygroscopic solution, and considering the above conditions, the hygroscopic solution is kept at a constant temperature and relative humidity. It is made into an aqueous solution of a certain concentration under the following conditions.

That is, as will be described in more detail, when the hygroscopic solution is circulated through the closed circulation path 11, it is brought to a low temperature at the inlet of the hygroscopic element 7 and satisfies the condition h ₁ > h ₂ so that the hygroscopic element 7 performs an absorption action. After that, the temperature is set at the inlet of the evaporation element 8 to satisfy the condition h ₃ < h ₄ , and the moisture in the hygroscopic solution is evaporated by the evaporation element 8 to regenerate the solution. By cooling the heat of absorption generated when absorbing moisture in the evaporator 4, the difference in size between the above conditions is made sufficiently large, and the cycle of absorption and regeneration is repeated to replenish the moisture absorbing solution. Therefore, dehumidification can be reliably carried out without the need for dehumidification, and the latent heat load on the evaporator 4 can be reduced.

However, in the case shown in FIG. 1, a partition plate 14 is provided in one housing 13 to form an indoor chamber 15 that opens indoors and an outdoor chamber 16 that opens outdoors. , the moisture absorbing element 7 inward from the inside of its opening, and the evaporation temperature is about 18
An evaporator 4 at a temperature of about 48° C. and an indoor fan 17 blowing air in the direction of the opening are arranged in this order, and in the outdoor chamber 16, the evaporating element 8 is arranged inward from the inside of the opening, and a condenser with a condensing temperature of about 48° C. 2. Arrange outdoor fans 18 blowing air in the opening direction, connect one end of the first communication pipe 9 to the upper part of the moisture absorbing element 7, and connect the inlet of the other end to the upper part of the condenser 2 for evaporation. One end of the second communication pipe 10 was connected to the upper part of the element 8, and one end of the second communication pipe 10 was connected to the lower part of the evaporator element 8, and the inlet section of the other end was connected to the lower part of the moisture absorption element 7 via the lower part of the evaporator 4. It is.

In addition, 19 is a circulation pump for the hygroscopic solution, 20 is a motor for the indoor and outdoor fans 17 and 18, and 21, 2
2 is a grill provided at each opening of the indoor chamber 15 and the outdoor chamber 16, and 23 is a wall separating the indoor and outdoor areas.

In the configuration shown in Figure 1, for example, the indoor air temperature is 25°C, the relative temperature is 50%, and the water vapor partial pressure _h1 is
13.3, outdoor air temperature 30℃, relative humidity 66%,
In order to operate the compressor 1, pump 19, and motor 20 to perform cooling operation when the water vapor partial pressure _h3 is 21.1, a constant temperature cycle with no temperature change is performed in both elements 7 and 8 as described below. It can dehumidify. That is, the circulating hygroscopic solution flows through the lower part of the evaporator 4 and is cooled, so that the water vapor partial pressure _h2 is sufficiently lower than the water vapor partial pressure _h1 of the inlet air on the indoor side, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, at a temperature of 25°C. , the water is allowed to flow into the moisture absorbing element 7 at a concentration of 37%. In this way, moisture in the inlet air can be absorbed through the sheet 5 when flowing through the moisture absorbing element 7,
The heat of absorption generated during this absorption increases the evaporation temperature, for example
It is successively cooled by the low-temperature air blown from the evaporator 4 at 18°C, and the concentration decreases while keeping the temperature constant. When it flows out from the moisture absorption element 7, the temperature is 25°C and the concentration is 27%, as shown in Figure 8. .

The solution flowing out from the moisture absorbing element 7 is heated by flowing through the upper part of the condenser 2, and the temperature is raised to 45°C while the concentration remains constant, so that the water vapor partial pressure h ₄ becomes the water vapor in the air outside the room. The state shown in FIG. 8 is reached, which is sufficiently higher than the partial pressure _h3 . Therefore, the evaporation element 8
Moisture can be released into the air through the sheet 5 by being evaporated and gasified within the chamber, and at the time of release, the condensation temperature is set to 48°C, for example.
It is kept warm by the high-temperature air blown from the condenser 2, and the concentration increases while the temperature remains constant, and when it flows out from the evaporation element 8, the temperature is 45°C and the concentration is 37%, as shown in FIG.

The solution flowing out from the evaporation element 8 is
It flows through the lower part of the evaporator 4 and returns to the cooled state shown in FIG. It will be done.

As described above, since dehumidification can be performed by a constant temperature cycle, the difference between the values of the dehumidifying conditions h ₁ > h ₂ and h ₄ > h ₃ can be made sufficiently large, and the dehumidifying capacity can be increased.

Furthermore, the above-described cycle is a constant temperature cycle in which the moisture absorption element 7 is arranged on the leeward side of the evaporator 4, and the cooling effect of the evaporator 4 on the moisture absorption element 7 is increased in order to cope with the absorption heat generated when moisture is absorbed in the air. In this case, as shown in Fig. 9, the evaporator 4
If the hygroscopic element 7 is arranged on the windward side of the hygroscopic element 7 and the cooling effect of the evaporator 4 on the hygroscopic element 7 becomes small, the temperature of the hygroscopic solution increases due to the absorption heat generated when moisture is absorbed from the indoor air. Dehumidification can be performed as a heating cycle.

That is, in the temperature increasing type shown in FIG. 10, the condition h ₁ > h 2 is that the hygroscopic solution can flow through the lower part of the evaporator 4, be cooled, and absorb moisture in the air into the hygroscopic solution _. In order to meet the requirements, a hygroscopic solution having a temperature of 25° C. and a concentration of 35.9% is flowed into the hygroscopic element 7, for example. In this case, the moisture absorption element 7 can absorb moisture in the air via the sheet 5. During absorption, this hygroscopic solution has almost no cooling effect from the evaporator 4, so its temperature increases due to the heat of absorption, resulting in a temperature of 35° C. and a concentration of 34.5%, as shown in FIG.

Then, the solution flowing out from the moisture absorbing element 7 is heated by flowing through the upper part of the condenser 2, and only the temperature is raised to ₄₅ ° C. while the concentration remains constant _. It will be in the state shown in the figure. Therefore, the moisture can be evaporated and gasified in the evaporation element 9 and released into the air through the sheet 5. At the time of release, the moisture-absorbing solution is kept warm by high-temperature air blown from the condenser 8 with a condensation temperature of, for example, 48°C. The concentration increases while the temperature remains constant, and when it flows out from the evaporation element 8, the temperature is 45°C, as shown in Figure 10.
The concentration is 35.9%. The solution flowing out from the evaporation element 8 is cooled by the evaporator 4 and
It returns to the moisture absorbing element 7 in the state shown in the figure, and by repeating this heating cycle, indoor air can be dehumidified and the latent heat load on the evaporator 4 can be reduced.

Incidentally, with the constant temperature type and temperature increasing type shown in Figures 8 and 10 explained above, for example, the latent heat and sensible heat loads (Kml/h) are 418 and 1822, and the cooling load is 2240 (Kml/h).
h) In order to perform cooling that satisfies the condition of dehumidification amount of 720 (cc/h), the dehumidification amount per 1 kg of dehumidifying solution is 270 c.c. and 40 c.c. for fixed temperature type and temperature rising type, respectively. Therefore, the circulation amount of the hygroscopic solution per hour is 720/270
= 2.7 Kg and 720/40 = 18 Kg, and the amount of reheat by condenser 2 (Kml/h) is (45℃ - 25℃) x 0.7 (specific heat) x 2.7
(Circulation amount) = 37.8 and (45℃ - 35℃) x 0.7 x 18 =
126, and the solution cooling heat amount is (45℃−25℃) ×
0.7 (specific heat) x 2.7 (circulation amount) = 37.8 and (45℃−25
°C) × 0.7 × 18 = 252, the heat of absorption (Kml/h) when absorbing moisture in the air is 580 × 0.72 = 418 and 580 × 0.72
×0.7=293, total required cooler load (Kml/h) is
The energy efficiency (EER ) are 3.01 and 2.89 when the evaporation temperature is increased to 18℃, and 2.70 and 2.59 when the evaporation temperature is increased to 15℃,
Compared to the current evaporation temperature of 10°C and energy efficiency of 2.50, the energy efficiency can be sufficiently improved.

In the above explanation, the hygroscopic solution is forcibly circulated by the pump 19, but the sealed chamber 6 of the hygroscopic element 7 is placed below the sealed chamber 6 of the evaporation element 8 in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. Therefore, the hygroscopic solution can be naturally circulated without using the pump 19 due to the difference in specific gravity due to changes in the concentration of the hygroscopic solution.

Even without using the pump 19, the moisture absorption element 7
The concentration decreases due to moisture absorption, the specific gravity decreases, a natural circulation force is generated upward, and the specific gravity also decreases at the inlet. Further, in the evaporation element 8, the concentration increases due to the action of releasing water, and the specific gravity increases, causing a downward natural circulation force and increasing the specific gravity toward the outlet. Moreover, since the increasing specific gravity side of the outlet is located higher than the decreasing specific gravity side of the inlet of the moisture absorbing element 7, a natural circulation force is generated from the evaporating element 8 to the moisture absorbing element 7 due to the difference in specific gravity, and the moisture absorbing solution is sealed tightly. Natural circulation occurs in the circulation path 11 in a counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG.

When performing the natural circulation, the communication pipes 9 and 10 are led out almost horizontally from the outlet sides of both the elements 7 and 8, and the condenser 2 and the evaporator 4 are connected to each other.
After the inside is led out, the direction is changed in the vertical direction and connected to the inlet side of both elements 7 and 8, so that even between the condenser 2 and the inlet side of the evaporation element 8, As the specific gravity of the evaporator 4 decreases due to heating, the evaporator element 8 can easily rise toward the outlet side.
By increasing the specific gravity due to cooling, the moisture absorbing element 7 can be lowered to the inlet side more easily, and the natural circulation force can be increased as a whole.

Furthermore, in the above explanation, both the elements 7 and 8
and evaporator 4, condenser 2 and indoor/outdoor fans 17, 18
However, as shown in FIG. 12, an indoor housing 24 installed indoors and an outdoor housing 25 installed outdoors are provided, and the evaporator 4 and moisture absorption element are housed in the indoor housing 24. 7 and indoor fan 17,
Alternatively, the condenser 2, evaporation element 8, and outdoor fan 18 may be arranged in the outdoor housing 25, respectively. Although not shown, by installing the indoor housing 24 below the outdoor housing 25, the hygroscopic solution can be naturally circulated.

As described above, according to the present invention, the hygroscopic solution at the inlet of the hygroscopic element can be brought to a low temperature by the evaporator, so that the water vapor partial pressure h ₂ of the hygroscopic solution in the hygroscopic element is lowered to the air to be absorbed. The water vapor partial pressure h ₁ can be made smaller than the water vapor partial pressure h 1 on the side, and moisture corresponding to the difference between the water vapor partial pressures h ₂ and h ₁ can be well absorbed from the air side to the hygroscopic solution side.

In addition, the hygroscopic solution at the inlet of the evaporation element after performing the hygroscopic action can be heated to a high temperature by the condenser, thereby reducing the water vapor partial pressure h ₄ of the hygroscopic solution in the evaporation element to be evaporated. The water vapor partial pressure h ₃ on the air side can be made larger, and water corresponding to the difference between the water vapor partial pressures h ₄ and h ₃ can be evaporated from the solution side to the air side.

Therefore, the air on the evaporator side can be dehumidified reliably and efficiently, and the latent heat load on the evaporator can be reliably reduced.

Since the latent heat load on the evaporator can be reduced, the sensible heat ratio of the evaporator can be increased and the evaporation temperature can be increased.Furthermore, the suction pressure of the compressor can be increased and the difference between high and low pressures can be reduced. As a result, the energy efficiency of the evaporator can be improved.

Furthermore, by forming the moisture absorption and evaporation element into a structure having a closed chamber, and by connecting each of these elements through the first and second communication pipes,
Since a closed circulation path for the hygroscopic solution is formed, and this closed circulation path is configured to absorb and evaporate moisture in the air, the moisture absorption and evaporation effects can be performed more efficiently, and energy savings can also be achieved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, Figs. 2 to 4 are partially enlarged sectional views of a moisture absorption and evaporation element, and Figs. 5 to 7 show an example of a moisture absorption and evaporation element. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a constant temperature dehumidification cycle, FIG. 9 is a sectional explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a temperature increasing dehumidification cycle, and FIG. 11 , FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing another embodiment of the present invention. 1... Compressor, 2... Condenser, 3... Expansion mechanism, 4...
Evaporation mechanism, 5... Porous sheet, 6... Sealed chamber, 7... Moisture absorption element, 8... Evaporation element, 9, 10...
1st and 2nd communication pipes, 11... sealed circulation path.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Comprising a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, and an evaporator,
The evaporator is constructed so that air conditioning is performed by the evaporation action of the refrigerant in the evaporator, and a moisture absorbing element and an evaporation element are formed using a water-repellent porous sheet and having a closed chamber that allows air to pass through but not liquid. , these elements are connected by first and second communication pipes to form a closed circulation path for the moisture absorbing solution, and the moisture in the air passing through the moisture absorbing element is absorbed and removed by the moisture absorbing solution of the moisture absorbing element; The moisture absorbing element is configured to evaporate and release moisture absorbed in the evaporation element, and the moisture absorption element is disposed in an air flow path passing through the evaporator, and the evaporation element is disposed on the leeward side of the condenser. the hygroscopic solution flowing through the evaporation element is heated by condensation waste heat, and the inlet part of the first communication pipe connected to the closed chamber inlet side of the evaporation element is connected to the condenser, An air conditioner characterized in that an inlet portion of a second communication pipe connected to the closed chamber inlet side of the moisture absorbing element is connected to the evaporator. 2 A partition plate is provided in one housing to form an indoor chamber that opens indoors and an outdoor chamber that opens outdoors, and an evaporator, a moisture absorbing element, and an indoor fan are installed in the indoor chamber, and the outdoor chamber 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a condenser, an evaporation element, and an outdoor fan are respectively arranged in the air conditioner. 3 An indoor housing installed indoors and an outdoor housing installed outdoors are provided, and the evaporator, moisture absorption element, and indoor fan are placed in the indoor housing, and the condenser, evaporation element, and outdoor fan are placed in the outdoor housing, respectively. An air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that: