KR20090112073A - Apparatus for adding humidity - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A humidifier is provided to maintain uniform humidity in a wide space at low power consumption and to improve sanitariness and comfort feeling of the user. CONSTITUTION: A humidifier(100) includes a case, a porous ceramic structure, and a water container. The case(120) has an inlet port and an outlet port(121). The porous ceramic structure(110) is arranged within the case and stores a large amount of moisture inside. The water container(130) supplies moisture to the porous ceramic structure. The air flowing in through the inlet port absorbs the moisture while passing through the porous ceramic structure and is ejected to the outside through the outlet port.

Description

Humidification device {Apparatus for adding humidity}

The present invention relates to a humidifier, and more specifically, a humidifier that has a low electric power consumption, can maintain a wider space at a uniform humidity, and is more hygienic and sprays fine moisture particles so that a user can feel comfortable. It is about.

In general, the humidifier is a device that discharges the humid air by inhaling dry air into the inside using a blower.

In this case, in order to supply moisture to the dry air, the humidifier is provided with various means for evaporating or vaporizing water.

Ultrasonic vibrators used in most humidifiers, for example, excite water molecules and transform them into tens of microns of particles.

However, in the case of using such an ultrasonic vibrator, since the size of the moisture particles discharged to the outside is large, it cannot be moved far, and it is difficult to maintain a wide space at a uniform humidity.

In addition, the humidifier equipped with an ultrasonic vibrator must operate the vibrator and the blower, so the electricity consumption is high, and the vibrator needs to be cleaned periodically, and foreign substances may be deposited in the water tank for long periods of use to release unclean components. Due to the frequent failure of the vibrator has a problem that the life of the humidifier is shortened.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of electricity consumption, to maintain a uniform humidity in a large space, and more hygienic, by spraying fine moisture particles, the user feels comfortable It is to provide a humidification device that allows.

In order to achieve the above object,

Humidification device according to an aspect of the present invention is a case formed with an inlet port and outlet port; A porous ceramic structure disposed in the case and storing a large amount of moisture therein; And a water reservoir for supplying moisture to the porous ceramic structure.

At this time, in the humidifying apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, the air introduced through the inflow port is discharged to the outside through the discharge port after containing the moisture in the process of passing through the porous ceramic structure.

Humidification device according to another aspect of the present invention is a case formed with an inlet port and an outlet port; A filter mounted at an inlet port side of the case; A fan mounted to a discharge port side of the case; A porous ceramic structure disposed in the case and storing a large amount of moisture therein; And a water reservoir for supplying moisture to the porous ceramic structure.

In this case, in the humidifying apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the air introduced through the inflow port is discharged to the outside through the discharge port by the fan after containing the moisture in the process of passing through the porous ceramic structure.

As described above, the humidification device according to the present invention has a low electric consumption, can maintain a uniform humidity in a large space, and makes the user feel comfortable by spraying more hygienic and fine moisture particles.

Hereinafter, a humidifying apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing a humidifying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a humidifying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a porous ceramic constituting the humidifying apparatus according to the present invention A perspective view showing a structure.

Humidification device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is disposed in the case 120 and the case 120 is formed with the inlet and outlet ports 121, the porous ceramic structure for storing a large amount of moisture therein 110 and a water reservoir 130 for supplying moisture to the porous ceramic structure.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the water reservoir 130 may use a conventional water tank, etc., and the porous ceramic structure 110 may partially receive the water reservoir 130 to receive and store water. An area may be disposed in the case 120 to be immersed in the water reservoir 130.

In addition, FIG. 1 shows that the water reservoir 130 is disposed in the case, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is also possible to arrange the water reservoir outside the case so as to supply water toward the porous ceramic structure from the outside.

Here, the porous ceramic structure 110 (see FIG. 3) is manufactured in the shape of a honeycomb to increase the contact area with the atmosphere.

In addition, the humidifying apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on the case 120, the fan to suck the outside air into the case 120 to blow toward the porous ceramic structure 110 ( 140) may be further included.

The fan 140 may be mounted on the inlet port or the outlet port 121 side of the case 120, Figure 1 shows that the fan 140 is mounted on the inlet port side.

Here, the usual heating means and / or cooling means (not shown) may be further provided on the suction side of the fan 140 to raise or lower the temperature of the sucked air.

Humidification means 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a filter 150 for purifying the air sucked from the outside through the fan 140.

In FIG. 1, the filter 150 is mounted on the suction side of the fan 140, but may be mounted on the blower of the fan 140.

Here, the filter 150 may be a variety of filters, for example, conventional dust removal filter, harmful gas (formaldehyde or VOC gas) adsorption filter, antibacterial filter and the like can be used.

In addition, the filter 150 constituting the humidifying apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be filled with a filler for generating various aromas such as aroma or phytoncide.

The humidification process in the humidifying apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to the drawings.

The porous ceramic structure 110 constituting the humidifying apparatus 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is disposed so that a part of the region is immersed in the water reservoir 130, and thus the high porosity and the capillary pressure of the porous ceramic structure 110 are provided. Due to the large amount of moisture contained therein.

At this time, the pore of the porous ceramic structure 110 is very fine because the size is formed of several tens of micrometers to several hundred micrometers, the porosity is very high, corresponding to 40 to 80% of the volume of the porous ceramic structure 110 .

 Humidification device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention uses the principle of natural evaporation in the porous ceramic structure (110).

The porous ceramic structure 110 includes micropores as described above, and may contain a large amount of water due to its high porosity.

At this time, since the porous ceramic structure 110 has a honeycomb shape, not only the contact area with the atmosphere is large, but also the specific surface area of the micropores is very large, and the contact area with the atmosphere is increased.

That is, since the porous ceramic structure 110 has a large pore and honeycomb shape, the contact area with the air is increased, so that evaporation is naturally performed smoothly, so that the water can be supplied to the air passing through the porous ceramic structure 110. do.

Meanwhile, outside air is sucked into the case 120 through the fan 140 mounted on the case 120, and the sucked air is blown toward the porous ceramic structure 110 through the fan 140.

At this time, the air passing through the porous ceramic structure 110 contains water in a fine particle state, and is discharged to the outside through the discharge port 121 of the case 120.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2 the humidifying apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention may reverse the blowing direction.

The humidifier 200 includes a case 220 having an inlet port and an outlet port, a water reservoir 230 disposed in the case, and a filter 250 mounted at an inlet port side of the case 220.

In addition, the humidifier 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention is disposed in the fan 240 and the case 220 mounted on the discharge port side of the case 220, the water from the water reservoir 230 It receives a porous ceramic structure 210 that stores a large amount of moisture therein.

Each case, the water reservoir, the fan, the porous ceramic structure, and the filter constituting the humidifying apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment have the same structure and function as each component of the humidifying apparatus 100 described with reference to FIG. The only difference is in the reverse direction.

That is, in the humidifying apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention, the air introduced through the inflow port is introduced into the case 220 after the dust is removed while passing through the filter 250, and the porous ceramic structure In the process of passing through 210, the water containing the fine particles evaporated from the porous ceramic structure 210 is discharged to the outside through the discharge port by the fan 240.

Meanwhile, as described above, the humidifier 100 or 200 according to the present invention may further include a cooling device or a heating device so as to provide air of a desired temperature by the user, by using an antibacterial filter and various fillers. It can provide a comfortable air to the user.

Hereinafter, the porous ceramic structure 110 constituting the humidifying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

In the present embodiment, the porous ceramic structure 110 may be a porous ceramic paper having a honeycomb structure including a ceramic plate paper 111 and ceramic corrugated paper 112 attached to the ceramic plate paper 111.

In this embodiment, by manufacturing the porous structure using the ceramic paper, there is an advantage that it is possible to easily control the mass production and pore characteristics (such as pore size and porosity) due to high productivity. Ceramic plate-like and corrugated papers (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "ceramic papers") may be produced using ceramic fibers.

In this embodiment, the ceramic fiber used in the manufacture of the ceramic paper generally has a diameter of 1 micron to 20 microns, and the average length thereof is preferably 0.1 mm to 10 mm. If the length is less than 0.1 mm, the strength of the ceramic paper may be lowered. If the length is more than 10 mm, it is difficult to uniformly disperse the fibers in the slurry, which is a raw material, causing unevenness of the paper.

The ceramic fiber used in this embodiment is a material containing aluminum and / or silicon, specifically, one selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, silica-alumina, aluminosilicate, alumino borosilicate, mullite and glass fiber. Although the above is mentioned, it is not limited to this.

The ceramic paper of the present invention may further include 0.1 parts by weight to 100 parts by weight of organic fibers based on 100 parts by weight of the ceramic fiber. Examples of the organic fibers that can be used in the present invention include natural fibers such as conifer pulp, wood fibers or hemps; And synthetic fibers such as nylon, rayon, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, aramid or acrylic, and one or more of the above may be used.

Such organic fibers are preferably included in an amount of 0.1 parts by weight to 100 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the ceramic fiber. If the content is less than 0.1 part by weight, it is difficult to maintain the tensile strength of the ceramic paper, making it difficult to corrugate during the manufacturing process. If the content is more than 100 parts by weight, the porosity of the ceramic structure is excessively increased to reduce the strength. have.

The ceramic paper of the present invention may further include 1.0 parts by weight to 50 parts by weight of the binder together with the aforementioned ceramic fibers and organic fibers. In the present invention, it is preferable to use an organic binder. For example, an epoxy binder, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), polyacrylamide (PAM), polyethylene oxide (PEO), methyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, tablets Starch, dextrin, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl butyral, polymethyl (meth) acrylate, polyethylene glycol, paraffin, wax emulsion, and microcrystalline wax.

Such a binder is preferably included in the ceramic paper in an amount of 1.0 to 50 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the ceramic fiber. If the content is less than 1.0 part by weight, there is a fear that the bonding strength between the fibers is lowered, if it exceeds 50 parts by weight, the flowability and adhesion of the ceramic paper is increased, workability is lowered and the strength of the ceramic structure may be lowered. .

In this embodiment, the porous ceramic structure is formed on the ceramic fiber, characterized in that it comprises a primary coating layer containing one or more components selected from the group consisting of silicon, aluminum and zirconium.

The primary coating layer serves as a buffer layer or a primer layer between the ceramic paper and the secondary coating layer, and more specifically, serves to protect the ceramic fiber and to enhance adhesion with the secondary coating layer.

The component constituting the primary coating layer contains at least one selected from the group consisting of silicon, aluminum and zirconium, and more specifically, is cured by silica, silane, siloxane, alumina, zirconia, aluminum silicate, sol-gel process. It may include one or more selected from the group consisting of a compound capable of enhancing the wet strength of the ceramic paper and a curable polymer.

In the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of excellent affinity with the components constituting the secondary coating layer (eg, aluminum phosphate, etc.), the primary coating layer more preferably includes silica or aluminum silicate, but is not limited thereto.

The porous ceramic structure includes a secondary coating layer formed on the surface of the primary coating layer, which serves as an inorganic binder for maintaining the bond between the ceramic fibers. The secondary coating layer includes an aluminum component and a phosphorus component. In this case, the atomic ratio (P / Al) of phosphorus and aluminum included in the secondary coating layer is preferably 3 to 50.

When the said atomic ratio is less than 3, there exists a possibility that a coating layer may not be formed smoothly, and when it exceeds 50, a fiber surface may be damaged and a strength may fall. Although not particularly limited, the secondary coating layer preferably includes aluminum phosphate, and more preferably, two phases of Al (PO ₃ ) ₃ (aluminum metaphosphate) and AlPO ₄ (aluminum orthophosphate) are present in a mixed state. Do.

Another component of the second coating layer may include only an aluminum component. That is, by coating an appropriate amount of alumina sol having a solid content of 5 to 30%, drying it sufficiently at 100 ° C., and heat-treating it at 900 to 1200 ° C., the alumina coating film is formed on the silica coating film formed on the bond between the fiber surface and the fiber, thereby increasing the mechanical strength of the fiber. As well as being formed, the bonding strength between the fibers is improved, and above all, a chemically stable alumina coating film is formed on the fiber surface, thereby providing corrosion resistance to an acid or basic aqueous solution.

As will be described later, in the present invention, by using the inorganic binder precursor solution in forming the primary and secondary coating layers, uniform coating using the capillary effect of the porous ceramic molded body (ceramic paper) is possible. The difficulty of pore control due to the application can be solved. In addition, the binder precursor having excellent reactivity may be chemically bonded to the ceramic fiber to improve the bonding strength between the fibers, thereby imparting excellent mechanical strength to the structure.

The primary and / or secondary coating layer may also further comprise one or more kinds of magnesium, calcium and boron containing compounds in view of further improvement of interfiber bonding strength. The component partially replaces aluminum ions and the like included in the coating layer, thereby increasing the bonding strength of the inorganic binder and improving thermal stability at high temperature.

Examples of the boron-containing compound that can be used in the present invention are not particularly limited, and examples thereof include boric acid. Such components are preferably included in an amount of 0.1 parts by weight to 10 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the components constituting the primary or secondary coating layer, but is not limited thereto.

Each coating layer may further include an appropriate amount of oxide ceramic powder particles such as clay, alumina, zeolite, silica, zirconia and / or titania for the purpose of improving the mechanical strength of the ceramic structure and controlling the pore properties. The impregnation step of the oxide ceramic powder particles may be impregnated with the coating liquid after dispersing a certain amount of ceramic powder particles in the coating liquid during the manufacturing step of the ceramic paper, that is, the primary coating or the secondary coating process.

Looking at the manufacturing process of the porous ceramic structure having such a structure,

Ceramic fiber, such as aluminosilicate or mullite, and a pulp, an organic binder, etc. are mixed, and a ceramic plate-shaped pattern is manufactured.

In this case, the ceramic plate-shaped paper is corrugated to produce ceramic corrugated paper, and the ceramic corrugated paper is attached to the ceramic plate-shaped paper to prepare porous ceramic paper.

The ceramic honeycomb is manufactured by winding the porous ceramic paper in a roll shape. At this time, the diameter of the ceramic honeycomb can be adjusted to match the size of the humidifier.

In addition, the thickness of the ceramic honeycomb should be as thin as possible, but if too thin, the workability is inferior, so 10 mm to 25 mm is appropriate, but this is related to the cell density of the honeycomb and should be appropriately adjusted.

In general, if the cell density is high, the specific surface area in contact with air is increased, and the amount of water generated is increased. However, if the cell density is too high, a pressure drop occurs, which makes it difficult to discharge sufficient air.

The ceramic honeycomb prepared as described above is impregnated with an inorganic binder such as silica sol or alumina sol, dried and heat-treated at a temperature of 600 ° C. to 1200 ° C. to prepare a porous ceramic structure.

The water absorption and water transfer rate of the porous ceramic structure for application as a humidifying medium are closely related to the pore size, pore distribution, and overall porosity.

That is, in order to achieve excellent water absorption and water transfer to the upper portion of the ceramic structure, the pore size distribution of the ceramic structure should be at least 95% of the total pores of 10 μm to 200 μm, more preferably 20 μm to 150 μm. Or less, more preferably 30 µm to 100 µm or less.

 If there are many pores with a pore size of less than 10㎛, water absorption is made only at the water contacting part, and moisture is not delivered to the upper part quickly, so that the humidification ability is lowered.In the case of many pores larger than 200㎛, ceramic structure The overall strength of the deteriorates, which adversely affects workability.

In addition, the overall porosity should be 40% to 80% or less, more preferably 50% to less than 75%, more preferably 60% to less than 70%.

If the overall porosity is less than 40%, water absorption and moisture transfer are not good, so it cannot function as a humidifying medium, and if it exceeds 80%, the overall strength of the ceramic structure is lowered, which adversely affects workability.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the porous ceramic structure may include at least one selected from the group consisting of cordierite, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and aluminum titanate.

The porous ceramic structure is manufactured by extrusion method after mixing an inorganic binder, an organic binder, a pore-forming agent, a lubricant and water with powder such as cordierite, silicon carbide, silicon nitride and aluminum titanate.

The porous ceramic structure prepared as described above has about 99% of pores distributed in a narrow range of about 10 μm to 25 μm in pore size, and the overall porosity is 40% to 45%.

In the case of ceramic structure using ceramic paper, the pore size is distributed in small range from 10um to 200um, and most of the pores are more than 30um and the porosity is more than 60%. Extrusion-based ceramic structures using ceramic powder have a disadvantage that water absorption and water transfer rates are rather slow.

On the other hand, the porous ceramic structure constituting the humidifying apparatus according to the present invention may further include an antimicrobial coating layer. When the humidifier is used for a long time, water moss or various foreign matters are deposited on the ceramic structure, and in order to suppress harmful foreign matters emitted from the outside during the humidification operation, for example, primary coating Alternatively, after the second coating, a photocatalyst such as silver nano or titanium dioxide (TiO 2) may be coated.

The ceramic structure is very porous due to its microstructure, and thus has a specific surface area, which has an advantageous supporting property for immediately applying an antimicrobial coating.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention described above are disclosed for purposes of illustration, and those skilled in the art having various ordinary knowledge of the present invention may make various modifications, changes, and additions within the spirit and scope of the present invention. And additions should be considered to be within the scope of the following claims.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a humidifying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a humidifying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a perspective view showing a porous ceramic structure constituting the humidifying apparatus according to the present invention.

Claims (16)

A case in which an inlet port and an outlet port are formed; A porous ceramic structure disposed in the case and storing a large amount of moisture therein; And Including a water reservoir for supplying moisture to the porous ceramic structure, Humidifier, characterized in that the air introduced through the inlet port is discharged to the outside through the discharge port after containing the moisture in the process of passing through the porous ceramic structure. The method of claim 1, And a fan mounted at an inlet port or an outlet port of the case and configured to suck outside air into the case and blow the air toward the porous ceramic structure. The method of claim 2, Humidifier further comprises a filter for purifying the air sucked from the outside through the fan. A case in which an inlet port and an outlet port are formed; A filter mounted at an inlet port side of the case; A fan mounted to a discharge port side of the case; A porous ceramic structure disposed in the case and storing a large amount of moisture therein; And Including a water reservoir for supplying moisture to the porous ceramic structure, Humidifier, characterized in that the air introduced through the inlet port is discharged to the outside through the discharge port by the fan after containing the moisture in the process of passing through the porous ceramic structure. The method according to claim 1 or 4, The pore size of the porous ceramic structure is a humidifier, characterized in that 10㎛ ~ 200㎛. The method of claim 5, wherein The porous ceramic structure is a humidifier, characterized in that the pore size of 10㎛ ~ 200㎛ more than 95% of the total pore. The method of claim 6, The porous ceramic structure is a humidifier, characterized in that the porosity is 40% ~ 80%. The method according to claim 1 or 4, And the porous ceramic structure is a porous ceramic paper comprising ceramic plate paper and ceramic corrugated paper attached to the plate paper. The method of claim 8, The porous ceramic paper is humidifying apparatus comprising a ceramic fiber and inorganic binder having an average length of 0.1 mm to 10 mm. The method of claim 9, And wherein the ceramic fiber comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of alumina fiber, aluminosilicate fiber, alumino borosilicate fiber, mullite fiber and glass fiber. The method of claim 8, The porous ceramic paper is formed on the paper and the primary coating layer containing one or more selected from the group consisting of silicon compounds, aluminum compounds and zirconium; And a secondary coating layer formed on the primary coating layer and containing an aluminum compound and a phosphorus compound. The method of claim 11, Humidifier, characterized in that the secondary coating layer of the porous ceramic paper is made of alumina. The method according to claim 1 or 4, The porous ceramic paper is humidifier, characterized in that it further comprises inorganic particles distributed on the surface or inside the pores. The method of claim 11, Wherein each coating layer further comprises a boron-containing compound. The method according to claim 1 or 4, And the porous ceramic structure comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of cordierite, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and aluminum titanate. The method according to claim 1 or 4, The porous ceramic structure is a humidifier, characterized in that it comprises an antimicrobial coating layer made of silver nano or titanium dioxide.

Images