KR100419562B1 - Air dehumidification method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Air dehumidification methods and apparatus are disclosed. The method comprises the steps of (i) reversibly absorbing moisture in the air and contacting the dehumidifying element included in the mold of the dehumidifying device with the air to be dehumidified, and the air dehumidified by the contact with the dehumidifying element outside the mold. (Ii) regenerating the dehumidifying element by removing the moisture from the dehumidifying element by contacting the dehumidifying element after absorbing the moisture of air with heated air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element (iii) ), Reusing the dehumidifying element regenerated by step (iii) in step (i), and for regeneration of the dehumidifying element after removing moisture from the dehumidifying element in step (iii) to condense moisture. Cooling the air and removing the water produced from the air for the regeneration of the dehumidifying element, and from step (v) to step (iii) in which the water produced by the condensation of moisture is removed. Circulating air for regeneration of the wet element. The air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element is not mixed with the air to be dehumidified or the dehumidified air.

Description

Air dehumidification method and apparatus

The present invention relates to an air dehumidification method and apparatus.

Conventional dehumidifiers are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-155247.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, together with the dehumidification apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-324015, a part of the air to be dehumidified is sucked into the mold B of the apparatus by the blower A, and the mold ( B) is moved to a dehumidification rotor (C) installed to be rotatable inside. The dehumidified air is discharged to the outside of the mold (B) after the dehumidification by the rotor (C). The other part of the sucked air passes through the passage F of the heat exchanger E, and then passes through the heater G to the dehumidifying rotor C to regenerate the dehumidifying rotor C. The humidified air by the regeneration of the dehumidification rotor C is sent to the passage H of the heat exchanger E to condense the moisture, and the water generated by the condensation of the moisture is removed.

However, this device has the following drawbacks:

First, since the humid air generated by the regeneration of the dehumidifying rotor C is cooled to a temperature not higher than the dew point in the passage H of the heat exchanger E by the air in the vicinity of the mold B. The air at the outlet of H) has a somewhat higher temperature than the surroundings and has a relative humidity of 100%, which contains more moisture than the air around the frame (B). Therefore, since the moist air cooled by the heat exchanger is discharged to the outside of the mold B, the dehumidification efficiency is not high. If the humid air is sucked out by the blower A without being discharged, and the humid air is mixed with the air around the mold B, the dehumidification efficiency cannot be greatly improved.

Second, since the air sucked by the blower (A) is divided into two streams and sent to the dehumidification rotor (C) and the heat exchanger (E), respectively, the pressure at the inlet of the dehumidification rotor (C) passage (K) is It is approximately equal to the pressure at the inlet of the exchanger E passage F, the pressure being higher than the pressure of the air around the mold B. Air sent to the passage F of the heat exchanger E sequentially passes through the passage I of the heater G and the dehumidifying rotor C and the passage H of the heat exchanger E, so that the pressure is sequentially The pressure of the exhausted air is reduced to about the same as the air around the mold B. Therefore, the pressure at the outlet of the dehumidification rotor C passage I is lower than the inlet of the dehumidification rotor C passage K.

Therefore, the air around the inlet of the dehumidification rotor C passage K is moved to the outlet of the dehumidification rotor C passage I and both the temperature and humidity of the humid air generated in the dehumidification rotor C are reduced, The amount of moisture removed is reduced.

Third, since the air discharged from the passage K of the dehumidification rotor C is immediately discharged to the outside of the mold B, the pressure around the outlet of the passage of the dehumidification rotor C is outside the mold B. Is almost equal to the pressure. Therefore, the pressure at the inlet of the dehumidification rotor C passage I is higher than the pressure at the outlet of the dehumidification rotor C passage K. Therefore, the air heated by the heater G around the inlet of the dehumidification rotor C passage I is moved to the outlet of the dehumidification rotor C passage K and the moist air generated by the dehumidification rotor C. The amount of is reduced, so that the amount of water removed is reduced.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an air dehumidification method and apparatus for dehumidifying air with higher efficiency than conventional dehumidification devices.

The present inventors concentrate on research and development so that the present invention can be completed by improving the dehumidification efficiency by providing air exclusively used for regeneration of the dehumidification rotor and separating the air for regeneration of the dehumidification rotor from the air to be dehumidified and the dehumidified air. It was.

That is, the present invention provides an air dehumidification method having the following steps:

(i) reversibly absorb moisture in the air and contact the dehumidifying element included in the framework of the dehumidifying device with the air to be dehumidified;

(Ii) evacuating the dehumidified air by contact with the dehumidifying element to the outside of the mold;

(Iii) regenerating the dehumidifying element by removing the moisture from the dehumidifying element by contacting the dehumidifying element after absorbing moisture of the air with heated air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element;

(Iii) reusing the dehumidifying element regenerated by step (iii) in step (i);

(v) cooling the air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element after removing the moisture from the dehumidifying element in step (iii) to condense the moisture, and removing the generated water from the air for regenerating the dehumidifying element; And

(Iii) circulating air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element from step (v) to step (iii) in which water produced by condensation of moisture is removed; The air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element is not mixed with the air to be dehumidified or the dehumidified air.

The present invention also provides a dehumidifying apparatus having:

frame;

A dehumidifying element that reversibly absorbs moisture in the air;

A passage connected to the dehumidifying element, for circulating air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element;

Means for moving air to be dehumidified to the dehumidifying element; And

A dehumidified air discharge passage connected to the dehumidifying element and the outside of the mold and for discharging air dehumidified by the dehumidifying element to the outside of the mold;

The circulation passage of air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element is provided with means for cooling the air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element after regenerating the dehumidifying element, in order to condense the moisture removed from the dehumidifying element; Means for removing water generated by condensation of moisture from air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element; A heater for heating air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element after the removal of the water produced by the condensation of moisture; And propulsion means for circulating air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element;

The air circulation passage for regeneration of the dehumidifying element is closed except for the periphery of the dehumidifying element.

According to the present invention, the dehumidification efficiency is considerably higher than that of the conventional dehumidifying apparatus, since the air used exclusively for the regeneration of the dehumidifying element is used separately and circulated without disposal without mixing with the air to be dehumidified or the dehumidified air.

1 is a partial perspective view of a known dehumidifying device.

FIG. 2 shows the circulation of the known dehumidifying apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

3 shows a preferred embodiment of a dehumidifying element and a structure around the dehumidifying element which can be used in the present invention.

4 shows another preferred embodiment of a dehumidifying element and a structure around the dehumidifying element which can be used in the present invention.

5 is a partial perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the dehumidifying device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a drain pan used in the preferred embodiment of the dehumidifying apparatus according to the present invention shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 shows the circulation of the dehumidifying apparatus according to the present invention shown in FIG. 5.

Fig. 8 is a humidity diagram of the present invention and the known dehumidifying apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

9 shows a circulation of the dehumidifying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 shows the circulation of the dehumidifying apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

11 shows a circulation of the dehumidifying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

12 shows the circulation of a dehumidifying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

13 shows a circulation of the dehumidifying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

14 shows circulation of a dehumidifying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 15 shows the circulation of the dehumidifying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the air dehumidifying method according to the present invention, a dehumidifying element (hereinafter referred to as DE) provided in the mold of the dehumidifying apparatus which will be described in detail later, included in the mold of the dehumidifying apparatus is used. DE has a moisture absorbent material at least on its surface. The water absorbent material may be any of the known water absorbent materials such as calcium chloride, lithium chloride, silica gel, molecular sieves and the like. DE can be coated or saturated with this moisture absorbent material. All of these DEs can be made from these moisture absorbing materials. DE preferably has a plurality of passages through it. In this case, the surface of the passage inner wall has the above water absorbing material. The passageway preferably has a diameter of 0.5-3 mm but is not limited to this range. The DE may be in the form of a plate or a block, more preferably in the form of a disc. In this case, the passage may be preferably formed in the thickness direction. Such a DE can be easily manufactured by spirally wrapping the pleated plate and coating a moisture absorbing material on the inner surface of the passage formed by the pleated plate structure.

In step (i) of the dehumidification method according to the invention, the air to be dehumidified is moved to DE by a blower or the like and comes into contact with the moisture absorbing material. In a preferred embodiment, air passes through the passageway formed in the DE. If the DE is in the form of a plate or a block and has a plurality of passages, air passes through the passages to reach the opposite side of the DE. During passage, moisture in the air is absorbed by the moisture absorbing material on the surface of the passageway of the DE, so that the air is dehumidified. The air to be dehumidified can be in contact with all or part of the DE, with the latter being preferred as described below.

In step (ii), the dehumidified air is discharged out of the mold of the dehumidification device.

In step (iii), after dehumidifying the air, DE is regenerated by removing moisture absorbed by the moisture absorbent material of DE. In the method of the present invention, air used exclusively for regeneration of DE (hereinafter referred to as DE-regeneration air) is used. DE is regenerated by contact with heated DE-regenerated air. By contact with the heated DE-regenerated air, the moisture contained in the moisture absorbent material of the DE is absorbed by the heated DE-regenerated air so that the DE is regenerated. In a preferred embodiment in which the DE has a plurality of passages passing in the thickness direction and is in the form of a plate or block, the DE-regenerated air also passes through the passages to reach the opposite side of the DE, in the same manner as in the above-described dehumidified air. do.

In step (iii), this recycled DE is reused in step (i) above.

In step (v), the DE-regeneration air after the DE regeneration of step (i) is cooled to condense the contained moisture, and the water produced by the condensation of the moisture is removed from the DE-regeneration air. Preferably the DE-regeneration air is cooled by exchanging heat with the air to be dehumidified in the manner from the heat exchanger to the DE. Before exchanging heat with the air to be dehumidified, the DE-regenerated air after the regeneration of DE may preferably be in heat exchange with the DE-regenerated air to be heated for the DE regeneration. By step (v), the DE-regeneration air is dehumidified.

In step (iii), this dehumidified DE-regeneration air is used to regenerate DE in step (iii) after circulating to DE and heating with a heater. Before being heated by the heater, the DE-regenerated air can preferably be heated by exchanging heat with the DE-regenerated air to be cooled in the heat exchanger described above. The DE-regenerated air may preferably be heated to 60 ° C. to 300 ° C., but the temperature of the DE-regenerated air is not limited.

Thus, the DE regenerated in step (iii) is reused in step (i) (this reuse step is represented by step (iii)) and the DE-regenerated air dehumidified in step (v) is reused in step (iii). . Therefore, the above steps (i) to (iii) can be repeated continuously.

In the dehumidification process according to the invention, it is an important feature that the DE-regeneration air is not mixed with the air to be dehumidified or with the dehumidified air to be discharged out of the mold. This is achieved by the fact that the path of the DE-regeneration air is completely blocked except around the DE, so that the DE-regeneration air does not come into contact with the air or the dehumidified air to be dehumidified anywhere except around the DE. Around the DE, the DE-regenerated air may be somewhat in contact with the air to be dehumidified or with the dehumidified air, but by properly designing the structure around the DE and the DE as described below, the DE-regenerated air is dehumidified or dehumidified. It can prevent mixing with air. Therefore, in the dehumidification method according to the present invention, the DE-regeneration air is not mixed with the air to be dehumidified or the dehumidified air to be discharged out of the mold.

A preferred embodiment of continuously carrying out steps (i) to (iii) is described with reference to FIG. 3 showing the structure of DE and its surroundings.

In this preferred embodiment, the DE 9 is in the form of a disc and has a plurality of passages 32 and passages through the disc in the thickness direction of the disc (left to right in FIG. 3). As noted above, a moisture absorbent material is coated on the inner wall of the passage 32. At the center of the DE 9, a through hole 34 for receiving a rotating shaft (not shown) is formed. The surface 33 of the DE 9 with the passage 32 open is here called the first surface (left side of the disc in FIG. 3) and the surface 35 of the DE opposite the first surface 33 is called the second surface. do. One area of the first surface 33 of the DE 9 is covered with the first room 12 and another area of the first surface 33 is covered with the second room 19. The area of the second surface 35 of the DE (9) opposite the first room 12 is covered with the third room 13 and the area of the second surface 35 of the DE (9) opposite the second room 19 is the fourth room. Covered with 20. The first room 12 and the second room 19 are connected via a separator 36, and similarly, the third room 13 and the fourth room 20 are connected via a separator 36. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the first to fourth rooms are formed by providing recesses in the cover 10 surrounding the entire DE.

In operation, the air to be dehumidified is moved to the first room 12 through the inlet 39, as shown by arrow 38. The air to be dehumidified passes through the passage 32 to reach the third chamber 13. While the air passes through the passage 32, the moisture contained in the air is absorbed by the moisture absorbing material coated on the surface of the passage 32, so that the air reaching the third chamber 13 is dehumidified. This dehumidified air is then discharged from the third chamber 13 through the outlet 41, as shown by arrow 40, and out of the mold 1a through a dehumidified air discharge passage (not shown). Discharged.

At the same time, the heated DE-regeneration air is moved to the second chamber 19 through the inlet 43 and through the passage 32 to reach the fourth chamber 20, as shown by arrow 42. Since the DE-regenerated air moved to the third chamber 19 is heated, the DE-regenerated air passing through the passage 32 receives moisture from the moisture absorbing material, and this region of the DE 9 is regenerated. Next, the DE-regeneration air after the DE regeneration is discharged from the fourth chamber 20 through the outlet 45, as shown by arrow 44. The DE-regenerated air discharged from the fourth chamber 20 is cooled to condense moisture, then heated as described above and then moved back to the second chamber 19, as shown by arrow 42. It should be noted that after the regeneration of the DE 9, the DE-regeneration air can be moved to the fourth chamber 20 and discharged from the third chamber 19.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the DE 9 in the form of a disc rotates around a rotating shaft (not shown) received in a hole 34 penetrating in a plane perpendicular to the drawing. Therefore, the area respectively covered by the first room 12 and the third room 13 is moved to a position respectively covered by the second room 19 and the fourth room 20. By this rotation, the area of the DE 9 that receives moisture from the air to be dehumidified is moved to the position where the DE 9 is regenerated, and at the same time, the regeneration area of the DE 9 is moved from the air to which the DE 9 is dehumidified. Moved to the location receiving moisture. Therefore, the above steps (i) to (iii) can be repeated continuously. Rotation of the DE 9 can be effected by using the weight of moisture absorbed by the moisture absorbent material. That is, the area of the DE 9 that receives moisture from the air to be dehumidified is heavier than the regeneration area of the DE 9. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 3, when the water-receiving area is at a position above the regeneration area, the DE 9 automatically rotates by gravity. Thus, in this embodiment, the DE 9 can be rotated without the need for a propulsion motor or the like. Optionally, the DE 9 can be rotated by the propulsion motor. In this case, the DE 9 can be rotated constantly or intermittently.

In the dehumidifying device according to the present invention, the circulation path of the DE-regeneration air is completely blocked except around the DE 9. Therefore, the DE-regenerated air is not mixed with any air in the circulation path except around the DE 9. Around DE (9), the inner face of the first chamber 12 and the inner face of the second chamber 19 are connected through a gap between the separator 36 and the first surface 33 of the DE (9), Since the inner side of the third chamber 13 and the inner side of the fourth chamber 20 are connected through the gap between the separator 36 and the second surface 35 of the DE 9, the DE-regeneration air is dehumidified. It may be mixed with air or dehumidified air. However, since the pressures of the first chamber 12 and the second chamber 19 are the same, and the pressures of the third chamber 19 and the fourth chamber 20 are the same, mixing of DE-regeneration air with dehumidified air or dehumidified air Does not occur substantially. Furthermore, by making the gap d between the separator 36 and the first surface 33 and the gap d between the separator 36 and the second surface 35 small, preferably 1 mm to 4 mm, DE − By preventing regeneration air from mixing with dehumidified or dehumidified air, the dehumidification efficiency is not substantially reduced. In a known apparatus which does not use DE-regeneration air individually, since the dehumidification efficiency decreases by 10% when the interval d is increased by 1 mm, even if the interval d is 4 mm in size, mixing is not possible. The fact that it does not occur is an important advantage of the present invention. Therefore, according to the present invention, the tolerances for the sizes of the DE 9 and the cover 10 are large, which is very advantageous in manufacturing the device.

Optionally, by providing a separation strip made of elastic rubber or plastic film in the gap, the first chamber 12 and the second chamber 19, and the third chamber 13 and the fourth chamber 20, respectively, -Completely prevent mixing of regeneration air with dehumidified or dehumidified air. In this case, the DE 9 can be preferably rotated by the propulsion motor to prevent friction between the separating strip and the DE 9. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the clearance e between the top of the DE 9 and the cover 10 and the gap e between the bottom of the DE 9 and the cover 10 are preferably also possible. It can be small, preferably 1 mm to 4 mm, to prevent the air to be dehumidified from passing directly to the third chamber 13 without passing through the passage 32 and without heating the heated DE-regenerated air through the passage 32. The fourth room 20 is prevented from being moved directly.

Mixing of DE-regeneration air with dehumidified or dehumidified air can also be almost completely prevented by the embodiment shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, the entire DE 9 is surrounded by the cover 10 and the first to fourth rooms are formed by providing recesses, and the first to fourth rooms are separated from each other. That is, the first room 12 and the second room 19 are separated by an interval f, and the third and fourth rooms are also separated by an interval f. The interval f is larger than in FIG. 3. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, because the gap f is large, it is possible to prevent mixing of DE-regeneration air with dehumidified air or dehumidified air. In this embodiment, the spacing f may preferably be longer than the thickness of DE, more preferably 1 to 5 times the DE thickness, moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, the inlet or outlet provided in each room. It can have the same size as the room.

An apparatus for performing the above dehumidification method is described below.

Dehumidification apparatus according to the present invention the frame; DE which reversibly absorbs moisture in the air; A passage connected to the DE for circulating the DE-regeneration air; Means for moving air to be dehumidified to DE; And a dehumidified air exhaust passage connected to the outside of the DE and the frame for discharging air dehumidified by the DE to the outside of the frame. A passage for circulating the DE-regeneration air is provided with means for cooling the DE-regeneration air after regeneration of the DE, in order to condense the moisture removed from the DE. Means for removing water produced by condensation of moisture from the DE-regenerated air; A heater for heating the DE-regeneration air after removal of water produced by condensation of moisture; And propulsion means for circulating the DE-regeneration air. The passages for circulating the DE-regeneration air are all blocked except around the DE, so as to prevent mixing of the DE-regeneration air with the dehumidified air or the dehumidified air, as described above.

A preferred embodiment of the dehumidifying device according to the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 5.

The dehumidifying apparatus 1 has a frame 1a in the form of a box. On the bottom of the mold 1a a container 2 is installed which receives the water produced by the condensation of water in the DE-regenerated air after the regeneration of the DE 9.

On the container 2, the first blower 4 and the second blower 5 are provided and rotated by the blower motor 3. The air outside the mold 1a is sucked into the mold by the first blower 4 and through the passage 6a of the heat exchanger 6 installed on the container 2 and the room 7 and the tube 8. In the embodiment it is sent to DE in the form of a dehumidifying rotor 9. The passage 6a is a passage of the heat exchanger, which is the lower half of the passage passing horizontally in the heat exchanger.

The dehumidification rotor 9 is in the form of a disc and is installed inside the cover 10 surrounding the entire dehumidification rotor. In this embodiment, the cover is referred to as a dehumidified rotor case 10. The dehumidifying rotor case 10 has the first to fourth chambers 12, 13, 19, and 20 as shown in FIG. The tube 8 is connected to the first room 12 and the air sucked from outside the mold 1a is sent to the first room 12 and then the passage 32 (shown in FIG. 3) in the dehumidifying rotor 9. Will pass. The dehumidified air reaching the third chamber 13 is discharged from the third chamber 13 through the tube 14 which is the dehumidified air discharge passage. The dehumidified air is discharged from the mold 1a through the pipe 14.

On the other hand, the DE-regeneration air is sent by the second blower 5 through the pipe 15 to the passage 6b of the heat exchanger 6. The passage 6b is a passage of the heat exchanger, which is the upper half of the passage passing horizontally in the heat exchanger. The DE-regeneration air after passing through the passage 6b is sent to the room 17 provided with the heater 16 and heated by the heater 16. The heated DE-regenerated air is then sent through the tube 18 to the second chamber 19 inside the dehumidifying rotor case 10.

The second room (19) and the fourth room (20) are smaller than the first room (12) and the third room (19), and the DE-regenerated air sent to the second room (19) is the passage (32) of the dehumidifying rotor (9) (Fig. Pass) to reach the fourth room 20.

The DE-regenerated air that has reached the fourth room is then sent to the passage 6c of the heat exchanger 6 via the room 23 provided above the heat exchanger 6. The passage 6c is a passage of the heat exchanger 6 communicating in the vertical direction of the heat exchanger 6. In the heat exchanger 6, the passages 6c communicating in the vertical direction and the passages 6a and 6b communicating in the horizontal direction are alternately arranged. That is, the passages 6a and 6b are arranged in vertical layers arranged at regular intervals, and the gap between each vertical layer having the horizontal passages 6a and 6b defines the vertical passage 6c.

When the DE-regeneration air passes down through the passage 6c, the DE-regeneration air is cooled to condense its moisture. The DE-regeneration air reaches the room 25 with a drain pan 24 arranged below the heat exchanger 6 after passing through the passage 6c. The DE-regenerated air is then sent through the pipe 26 to the second blower 5 and circulated again as described above.

After regeneration of the dehumidifying rotor 9, the condensed water produced by the cooling of the DE-regeneration air falls onto the drain pan 24. As shown in FIG. 6, a water outlet 24a is formed at the bottom center of the drain pan 24 and a float valve 27 is installed at the water outlet 24a. The float valve 27 has the valve body 27a which opens and closes the water outlet 24a, and the float 27b provided in the valve body 27a. When water accumulates in the drain pan 24, the float 27b and thus the valve body 27a floats to open the valve, and the water accumulated in the drain pan 24 passes through the container through the water outlet 24a. (2) It is discharged inside.

During operation, a power source (not shown) turns on to operate the blower motor 3 and heat the heater 16. By the blower motor 3, the first blower 4 and the second blower 5 are rotated. The air sucked into the mold 1a by the first blower 4 through the inlet (not shown) passes through the passage 6a of the heat exchanger 6 to reach the dehumidification rotor 9 and the dehumidification rotor ( It dehumidifies when passing through the passage 32 of 9). Dehumidified air is discharged from the outlet (not shown) by the first blower (4). By this dehumidification, the dehumidification rotor 9 absorbs moisture in the air and the area of the rotor 9 between the first chamber 12 and the third chamber 13 is located between the second chamber 19 and the fourth chamber 20. Heavier than the region of the rotor 9, the rotor 9 spontaneously rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG.

On the other hand, the DE-regeneration air sent by the second blower 5 reaches the heater 16 through the passage 6b of the heat exchanger 6 and is heated by the heater 16. The heated DE-regeneration air then passes through the passage 32 in the rotor 9. As described above, the rotor 9 is spontaneously rotated by gravity due to the weight of moisture absorbed, so that the region of the rotor 9 between the first chamber 12 and the third chamber 13 is the second chamber 19 and the fourth chamber. You will go to the position between 20. Since the heated DE-regenerated air passes through the passage 32 where moisture has already been absorbed, the moisture 9 is absorbed by the heated DE-regenerated air and thus the region of the rotor 9 between the second chamber 19 and the fourth chamber 20. Is played. In other words, this region of the rotor 9 again has the ability to absorb moisture from the air to be dehumidified. The regenerated area is then moved to the position between the first chamber 12 and the third chamber 13 by the spontaneous rotation described above, and absorbs the moisture of the air to be dehumidified as described above.

After regeneration of the rotor 9, DE-regenerated air having high temperature and humidity passes through the passage 6c of the heat exchanger 6 and passes through the passages 6a and 6b while passing through the passage 6c. It is cooled by exchanging heat with air. By this cooling, dew drops are formed on the surface of the passage 6c.

The DE-regenerated air after passing through the passage 6c has a higher temperature and 100% relative humidity than the air passing through the passage 6a, so that the absolute humidity is higher than the air outside the frame 1a. The DE-regenerated air having such high humidity is sucked by the second blower 5 and sent to the pipe 15 to circulate the above path without exiting the mold 1a.

Dew drops formed on the surface of the passage 6c of the heat exchanger 6 are collected in the drain pan 24. The water outlet 24a formed at the bottom of the drain pan 24 is stopped by the float valve 27 to block the flow of air, but when water (dew droplets) accumulates in the drain pan 24, the float 27b ) Rises and the valve opens. As a result, water is discharged to the container 2 through the water outlet 24a.

The amount of water accumulated in the container 2 is a dehumidification amount of the present dehumidifying device. When water accumulates to an appropriate level, the container 2 is taken out of the mold 1a and discarded.

The circulation of this embodiment is shown in FIG. It can be seen from FIG. 7 that the circulation path of the DE-regenerated air is separated from the path of the dehumidified air and the dehumidified air, so that the DE-regenerated air does not mix with the dehumidified air or the dehumidified air. The humidity diagram of the present invention and the prior art described above is shown in FIG. 8.

In the above known apparatus, the air at position ① is sucked into the apparatus and heated by heat exchanger E and heater G to have a high temperature (position ②). Next, the air passes through the dehumidification rotor C to be in a wet state (position ③) and is cooled by the heat exchanger E. FIG. Assuming that the heat exchange efficiency is 100% for comparison with the present invention, the air is cooled to the temperature t (position ④) and the moisture of the dehumidification amount (A) condenses to form dew.

On the other hand, in the apparatus according to the present invention, when the heat exchange efficiency is 100%, the temperature of the DE-regeneration air at the outlet 6c of the heat exchanger 6 is (t), and the relative humidity is 100% (position ④). )to be. By heating this DE-regenerated air with the same energy as used in the above known apparatus (heating in the amount of (B)), the air has a high temperature (position ⑤). By passing through the dehumidification rotor 9, the air is in a humid state (position ⑥), and by cooling the humid air to a temperature t (position ④) by a heat exchanger, the moisture of the dehumidification amount B is condensed and dewed. To form.

As can be seen from FIG. 8, when using the same energy for heating by using DE-regenerated air that is circulated without being discharged from the apparatus, the amount of dehumidification is larger than that of the known apparatus.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the dehumidifying apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, although DE-regeneration air passes through the passage 6b before being heated by the heater 16 in the above embodiment, it is not essential to pass through this heat exchanger. In addition, in order to cool the DE-regeneration air after regeneration of the DE, air outside the mold 1a can be moved to the heat exchanger 6.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 7, in the above-described embodiment, heat is exchanged between DE-regeneration air after cooling and before heating, and DE-regeneration air after regeneration of DE-regeneration air, so that after DE regeneration Cool the DE-regeneration air and preheat the DE-regeneration air before it is heated by the heater. However, as shown in FIG. 9, this heat exchange can be omitted, and the DE-regeneration air after DE regeneration can be cooled only by the air to be dehumidified. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the dehumidified air to be heated through heat exchange with DE-regeneration air after DE regeneration and then to heat the DE-regeneration air before being heated by the heater to DE It can be further heated by the heat of reaction that is sent and produced when the DE absorbs moisture. This more heated air may be subjected to heat exchange with the cooled DE-regenerated air which recovers heat generated by cooling and moisture absorption through heat exchange.

In addition, as shown in Figs. 12 to 15, the path for sending air to be dehumidified to the DE and the path for sending cooling air to the heat exchanger for cooling of the DE-regeneration air after the DE regeneration can be separated. Thereby, dehumidification efficiency due to a decrease in relative humidity caused by heating the air to be dehumidified by heat exchange with DE-regenerated air after DE regeneration and then applying heat to the DE-regenerated air before being heated by the heater. Reduction can be prevented. Furthermore, heat exchangers for cooling the DE-regeneration air after DE and DE regeneration as shown in FIGS. 7, 9-11 are arranged in parallel rather than in series, so that the pressure drop decreases and the pressure around the DE is reduced. Is similar to the pressure outside the frame, and the DE-regeneration air pressure is similar to the pressure outside the frame. As a result, the mixing of the DE-regenerated air with the air outside the mold hardly occurs, thereby preventing a decrease in the dehumidification efficiency.

In addition, the blower motor can be arranged at an appropriate location on the path and the heat generated by the motor can be recovered. Moreover, as shown in Figs. 11-15, the outlet of the dehumidified air can be separated so that only hot air can undergo heat exchange with the DE-regenerated air. That is, DE absorbs moisture rapidly immediately after regeneration, so that the temperature of air dehumidified by DE immediately after regeneration is higher than the temperature of dehumidified air for DE that has already absorbed a certain amount of moisture. Therefore, the outlet of the dehumidified air can be separated, so that the air dehumidified by DE immediately after regeneration is separated from the air dehumidified by DE which has already absorbed moisture, and dehumidified by DE immediately after higher temperature regeneration. Only air can undergo heat exchange with DE-regenerated air.

By means of the above apparatus, the DE-regeneration air used exclusively for the DE regeneration is used separately and circulated without mixing with the air to be dehumidified or the dehumidified air, so that the air having high dehumidification efficiency is discharged to the outside of the apparatus. Which is considerably higher than the conventional dehumidifying apparatus.

In addition, in the apparatus according to the present invention, the air to be dehumidified and the DE-regeneration air are moved by separate blowers, so that the pressures of the first room 12 and the second room 19 are the same, and the third room 13 and the fourth room ( The pressure in 20) is the same. Therefore, air does not flow between the first chamber 12 and the second chamber 19, nor does it flow between the third chamber 13 and the fourth chamber 20. As a result, even if the interval d is relatively large, the DE-regeneration air is not substantially mixed with the air to be dehumidified or the dehumidified air. Therefore, the dehumidification efficiency is high and the tolerance of the size of the dehumidification rotor 9 and the rotor case 10 is large, which is very advantageous in manufacturing the device. In addition, since the distance d can be relatively large, the rotor 9 can be prevented from rotating due to the dust accumulated between the rotor 9 and the rotor case 10.

Claims (17)

(i) reversibly absorbing moisture in the air and contacting the dehumidifying element included in the framework of the dehumidifying device with the air to be dehumidified; (Ii) discharging the dehumidified air by contact with the dehumidifying element to the outside of the mold; (Iii) regenerating the dehumidifying element by removing the moisture from the dehumidifying element by contacting the dehumidifying element after absorbing the moisture of the air with heated air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element; (Iii) reusing the dehumidifying element regenerated by step (iii) in step (i); (Iii) cooling the air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element after removing moisture from the dehumidifying element in step (iii) to condense the moisture, and removing the water produced from the air for regenerating the dehumidifying element; And (Iii) circulating air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element from step (iii) to step (iii), wherein water produced by the condensation of moisture is removed; Air for dehumidifying the dehumidifying element is not substantially mixed with the air to be dehumidified or dehumidified air. The method of claim 1, wherein the air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element is not mixed with the air to be dehumidified or the dehumidified air anywhere except around the dehumidifying element. 3. The dehumidifying element according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dehumidifying element is made of a material having at least a surface water absorbing material, and has a plurality of passages, wherein the air to be dehumidified and the air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element are formed. Air dehumidification method characterized by passing through. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the dehumidifying element is in the form of a plate or a block and has a plurality of passages in a thickness direction. The method of claim 4, wherein the dehumidifying element is rotatable, one area of the first surface on which the passage is open is covered by the first room, and another area of the first surface is covered by the second room, One area of the second surface of the dehumidifying element located on the opposite side is covered with a third room and another area of the second surface is covered with a fourth room, The air to be dehumidified is moved into the first room, passes through the passage to reach the third room, and is discharged from the third room to the outside of the frame through the dehumidified air discharge passage; Air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element is moved to the second chamber, passes through the passage to reach the fourth chamber, and is circulated from the fourth chamber to step (iii), And a region of the dehumidifying element respectively covered by the first and third rooms is moved by rotation of the dehumidifying element to a position respectively covered by the second and fourth rooms. The method of claim 4, wherein the dehumidifying element is rotatable, one area of the first surface on which the passage is open is covered by the first room, and another area of the first surface is covered by the second room, One area of the second surface of the dehumidifying element located on the opposite side is covered with a third room and another area of the second surface is covered with a fourth room, The air to be dehumidified is moved into the first room, passes through the passage to reach the third room, and is discharged from the third room to the outside of the frame through the dehumidified air discharge passage; Air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element is moved to the fourth chamber, passes through the passage to reach the second chamber, and is circulated from step (iii) to the second chamber, And a region of the dehumidifying element respectively covered by the first and third rooms is moved by rotation of the dehumidifying element to a position respectively covered by the second and fourth rooms. 7. The air dehumidification method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the first to fourth rooms are formed by providing a concave portion in the cover surrounding the entire dehumidifying element, and the first to fourth rooms are separated from each other. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6, wherein the air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element is dehumidified in a heat exchanger. Air dehumidification method characterized in that the cooling in the step (iii) by delivery to air. frame; A dehumidifying element that reversibly absorbs moisture in the air; A passage connected to the dehumidifying element, for circulating air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element; Means for introducing air to be dehumidified into the dehumidifying element; And, A dehumidified air discharge passage connected to the dehumidifying element and the outside of the mold to discharge the air dehumidified by the dehumidifying element to the outside of the mold, Means for cooling the air for regeneration of the dehumidification element after the dehumidification element is regenerated so that the circulation passage of air for regeneration of the dehumidification element condenses moisture removed from the dehumidification element; Means for removing water generated by condensation of moisture from air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element; A heater for heating air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element after removal of water generated by condensation of moisture; And propulsion means for circulating air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element, And an air circulation passage for regenerating the dehumidifying element is closed except for the periphery of the dehumidifying element. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the dehumidifying element is made of a material having at least a surface water absorbing material, and has a plurality of passages, wherein the air to be dehumidified and the air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element pass through the passage. Air dehumidification device characterized in that. The air dehumidifying device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the dehumidifying element is in the form of a plate or a block and has a plurality of passages in a thickness direction. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the dehumidifying element is rotatable, one area of the first surface on which the passage is open is covered with the first room and another area of the first surface is covered with the second room, One area of the second surface of the dehumidifying element located on the opposite side is covered with a third room and another area of the second surface is covered with a fourth room, The air to be dehumidified is moved into the first room, passes through the passage to reach the third room, and is discharged from the third room to the outside of the frame through the dehumidified air discharge passage; Air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element is moved to the second room, passes through the passage to reach the fourth room, and the fourth room is connected to the passage for circulation of air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element, And an area of the dehumidifying element respectively covered by the first and third rooms is moved by rotation of the dehumidifying element to a position respectively covered by the second and fourth rooms. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the dehumidifying element is rotatable, one area of the first surface on which the passage is open is covered with the first room and another area of the first surface is covered with the second room, One area of the second surface of the dehumidifying element located on the opposite side is covered with a third room and another area of the second surface is covered with a fourth room, The air to be dehumidified is moved into the first room, passes through the passage to reach the third room, and is discharged from the third room to the outside of the frame through the dehumidified air discharge passage; Air for regeneration of the dehumidification element is moved to the fourth room, passes through the passage to reach the second room, and the second room is connected to the passage for circulation of air for regeneration of the dehumidification element, And an area of the dehumidifying element respectively covered by the first and third rooms is moved by rotation of the dehumidifying element to a position respectively covered by the second and fourth rooms. 14. An air dehumidifying apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, wherein said first to fourth rooms are formed by providing a recessed portion in a cover surrounding the entire dehumidifying element, and said first to fourth rooms being separated from each other. The method according to any one of claims 9, 10, 12 or 13, wherein the heat is used as a means for cooling the air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element after regeneration of the dehumidifying element in order to condense the moisture removed from the dehumidifying element. Using an exchanger, wherein heat is exchanged between air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element after regeneration of the dehumidifying element and the air to be dehumidified. 14. An air dehumidifying apparatus according to any one of claims 9, 10, 12 or 13, wherein said dehumidifying element is in the form of a rotatable disk. 14. A method according to any one of claims 9, 10, 12 or 13, wherein the first blower is used as a means for moving the air to be dehumidified to the dehumidifying element, and circulating the air for regeneration of the dehumidifying element. Air dehumidification apparatus further comprises a second blower for.