KR20230083058A - Air circulation system comprising membrane dehunidification module - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present embodiments, dehumidification and purification functions can be performed by circulating indoor air, eco-friendly and high dehumidification effect can be exhibited with low manufacturing cost and power consumption, and the overall size is small and the structure is simple, so it is a built-in type. An air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module suitable for providing may be provided.

Description

Air circulation system including a membrane dehumidification module {AIR CIRCULATION SYSTEM COMPRISING MEMBRANE DEHUNIDIFICATION MODULE}

The present embodiments relate to an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidification module, and more particularly, can perform dehumidification and purification functions while circulating indoor air, and is environmentally friendly with low manufacturing cost and power consumption and exhibits a high dehumidification effect. The present invention relates to an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module suitable for providing a built-in type due to a small overall size and a simple structure.

In general, as methods for dehumidifying indoor air, compressor type dehumidification and desiccant type dehumidification are known.

Compressor-type dehumidification is a method of dehumidifying using a cooling cycle, and has advantages in that large-capacity dehumidification is possible and the price is low. However, since the compressor, evaporator, condenser, etc. must be included, the size of the overall system is large and the configuration is complicated, and noise is generated from the compressor, dehumidification performance is low at low temperatures, and condensation heat is generated during condensation.

Desiccant type dehumidification is a method of dehumidifying by adsorbing moisture to an adsorbent that adsorbs moisture using a rotary dehumidifying rotor, and has an advantage of being less affected by temperature. However, there are problems in that high-temperature air is required to regenerate the dehumidifying rotor, relatively high cost and power consumption, and use of non-environmentally friendly materials.

Accordingly, there is a demand for a system capable of solving the above problems while having a high dehumidifying effect.

The present embodiments have been devised from the background described above, and can perform dehumidification and purification functions while circulating indoor air, are eco-friendly and can exhibit high dehumidification effects with low manufacturing cost and power consumption, and have a small overall size and structure. It relates to an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module that is simple and suitable for provision as a built-in type.

According to the present embodiments, a housing including a suction port and a discharge port and having an internal space formed between the suction port and the discharge port, a fan provided inside the housing and sucking air through the suction port, located in the internal space, and a suction port An air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module including a membrane dehumidifying module and a pump connected to the membrane dehumidifying module may be provided to separate moisture from air sucked in through the membrane dehumidifying module.

According to the present embodiments, dehumidification and purification functions can be performed by circulating indoor air, eco-friendly and high dehumidification effect can be exhibited with low manufacturing cost and power consumption, and the overall size is small and the structure is simple, so it is a built-in type. An air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module suitable for providing may be provided.

1 is an exploded perspective view of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments.
2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments.
3 is a plan view of a portion of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments.
4 is a perspective view of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments.
5 is a diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a control unit of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments.
6 is a flowchart of an exemplary operating method of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments.
7 is a flowchart of an exemplary operating method of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments.
8 is a view showing some configurations of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Some embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to exemplary drawings. In adding reference numerals to components of each drawing, the same components may have the same numerals as much as possible even if they are displayed on different drawings. In addition, in describing the present embodiments, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present technical idea, the detailed description may be omitted. When "comprises", "has", "consists of", etc. mentioned in this specification is used, other parts may be added unless "only" is used. In the case where a component is expressed in the singular, it may include the case of including the plural unless otherwise explicitly stated.

Also, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used in describing the components of the present disclosure. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the nature, sequence, order, or number of the corresponding component is not limited by the term.

In the description of the positional relationship of components, when it is described that two or more components are "connected", "coupled" or "connected", the two or more components are directly "connected", "coupled" or "connected". ", but it will be understood that two or more components and other components may be further "interposed" and "connected", "coupled" or "connected". Here, other components may be included in one or more of two or more components that are “connected”, “coupled” or “connected” to each other.

In the description of the temporal flow relationship related to components, operation methods, production methods, etc., for example, "after", "continued to", "after", "before", etc. Alternatively, when a flow sequence relationship is described, it may also include non-continuous cases unless “immediately” or “directly” is used.

On the other hand, when a numerical value or corresponding information (eg, level, etc.) for a component is mentioned, even if there is no separate explicit description, the numerical value or its corresponding information is not indicated by various factors (eg, process factors, internal or external shocks, noise, etc.) may be interpreted as including an error range that may occur.

1 is an exploded perspective view of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to present embodiments, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to present embodiments, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the present embodiment. A plan view of a portion of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidification module according to Examples, Figure 4 is a perspective view of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidification module according to the present embodiments, Figure 5 is a membrane dehumidification according to the present embodiments 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary operating method of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments, and FIG. 7 is a membrane dehumidification according to the present embodiments. 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary operating method of an air circulation system including a module, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing some configurations of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments.

The air circulation system 100 including the membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments includes a suction port 113 and a discharge port 114, and an internal space 115 is formed between the suction port 113 and the discharge port 114. The housing 110 is formed, the fan 130 is provided inside the housing 110 and sucks air through the inlet 113, and is located in the inner space 115, and sucked in through the inlet 113. A membrane dehumidifying module 120 for separating moisture from air and a pump 141 connected to the membrane dehumidifying module 120 are included.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 , the housing 110 of the air circulation system 100 including the membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments includes a base 112 and a cover 111 . A suction port 113 and a discharge port 114 are formed in the base 112 , and a fan 130 and an internal space 115 are positioned between the base 112 and the cover 111 . The inner space 115 is a space in which dehumidification by the membrane dehumidifying module 120 can be performed. The air circulation system 100 including the membrane dehumidification module according to the present embodiments can be operated in a mode of performing dehumidification and air purification functions, and as will be described later, it performs only the air purification function without performing dehumidification. It can also be driven in mode.

The fan 130 is located on the side of the inlet 113 to suck air. The air sucked in by the fan 130 passes through the inner space 115 and is guided to the outlet 114 . Moisture is separated from the air passing through the inner space 115 by the membrane dehumidifying module 120 located in the inner space 115 , and the dehumidified air may be guided to the outlet 114 .

According to one embodiment, an inclined surface 111a for guiding air passing through the inner space 115 to the outlet 114 may be formed in the housing 110 . As shown in the figure, the air sucked by the fan 130 may move in a vertical direction in the inlet 113 and the outlet 114 and move in a horizontal direction in the inner space 115, the inner space 115 An inclined surface 111a may be formed to prevent the air passing through from being discharged to the outside through the discharge port 114 and preventing vortex from being generated inside the housing 110 . That is, for example, if the dehumidified air is not discharged to the outside of the housing 110, it is impossible to effectively dehumidify the room. Therefore, it is necessary to smoothly supply the dehumidified air back into the room. For example, as shown in the drawing, the inclined surface 111a is formed to face the inner space 115 in the horizontal direction and the discharge port 114 in the vertical direction on the inner surface of the cover 111, so that the inner space ( 115) may be guided by the inclined surface 111a and discharged through the discharge port 114.

The membrane dehumidifying module 120 includes one or more membrane module plates 121 . FIG. 8 shows an exemplary form of membrane module plate 121, and as shown in FIG. 8, each membrane module plate 121 is composed of a plurality of membranes. When the membrane dehumidifying module 120 includes a plurality of membrane module plates 121 , air supplied to the inner space 115 may pass between the membrane module plates 121 . The membrane performs dehumidification by separating moisture from the air in contact with the surface of the membrane. The membrane has a hollow shape, such as a straw, and is formed to allow fluid to flow therein. Gas separation by the membrane is performed by diffusion and desorption after gases having affinity for the membrane are adsorbed on the surface of the membrane by the solution-diffusion theory. That is, the gases supplied to the membrane have different solubility, diffusivity, and permeability calculated as the product of these depending on the type. Water has higher solubility and diffusivity than other gases. Because it is fast, it is possible to selectively separate it.

In particular, since water has a higher hydrophilicity than other gases, only water can be selectively separated from gases by using a hydrophilic membrane. Moisture can be separated from the outside of the membrane to the inside by constructing the membrane as a material through which water vapor can pass and forming a negative pressure lower than the external air pressure inside the membrane. Air flows from the outside to the inside due to the pressure difference between the outside and inside of the membrane, and as the membrane is made of a material that allows water vapor to selectively pass through, the water vapor moves from the outside to the inside of the membrane and moisture in the outside air is removed

The material forming the membrane may be a polysulfone hollow fiber membrane, and polyamide may be coated therein to increase selectivity of moisture in the air. The shape of the membrane module plate 121 is not particularly limited, but is preferably formed to have a large contact area with the outside air. For example, as shown in the drawing, the membrane module plate 121 may be formed in a rectangular plate shape.

A negative pressure inside the membrane is created by pump 141 . The pump 141 is connected to each membrane of the membrane dehumidifying module 120 to form negative pressure. The pump 141 is connected to the membrane dehumidification module 120 through a connection line 142 to form negative pressure inside the membrane. As the air passing through the membrane dehumidifying module 120 moves between the membranes by the negative pressure formed inside the membrane, the humid air is introduced into the membrane. The wet air drawn into the membrane is moved to the pump 141 through the connection line 142. The pump 141 is connected to a discharge line 143 for discharging the separated wet air to the outside, and the wet air may be discharged to the outside through the discharge line 143.

Therefore, according to the air circulation system 100 including the membrane dehumidification module according to the present embodiments, dehumidification can be performed easily and effectively. That is, compared to the case of performing dehumidification using a conventional dehumidifying agent, compression cooling, etc., it is environmentally friendly, and since dehumidification can be performed only by the operation of a fan and a pump, power consumption is very low, and the conventional cooling load increases. Problems and problems of condensate do not occur either.

In addition, the air circulation dehumidification system 100 including the membrane module according to the present embodiments can be provided in various spaces requiring a small installation space, and can be provided in particular as a built-in type. According to one embodiment, the housing 110 may be embedded in a wall or ceiling surface of a building. Since the housing 110 is built into the wall or ceiling surface so that the inlet 113 and the outlet 114 formed in the base 112 communicate with the room, the space occupied by the system according to the present embodiments can be minimized, and thus the installation There are few restrictions on location. For example, the system according to the present embodiments can be easily installed not only in a dressing room, but also in a veranda or utility room where condensation is likely to occur. The pump 141 is connected to the membrane dehumidification module 120 through the connection line 142, and the separated wet air may be discharged to the outside of the building through the discharge line 143.

Hereinafter, the structure of the membrane dehumidifying module 120 will be described in more detail. According to one embodiment, the membrane dehumidifying module 120 includes one or more membrane module plates 121 formed to allow fluid to flow therein, a first header 122 connected to the membrane module plate 121 and into which fluid flows, and a second header 124 connected to the membrane module plate 121 and through which fluid is discharged. Although an embodiment in which three membrane module plates are provided in the form of a rectangular plate is shown in the drawing, the shape and number of membrane module plates are not limited thereto.

The first header 122 and the second header 124 are connected to each membrane of the membrane module plate 121 . Fluid may be introduced into the inside of the membrane (hollow fiber membrane) of the membrane module plate 121 through the first header 122, and indoor air may be introduced, for example. Fluid may be discharged from the inside of the membrane of the membrane module plate 121 through the second header 124 . As the second header 124 is connected to the pump 141 through the connection line 142, the pump 141 can form a negative pressure inside the membrane 121 and also discharges wet air drawn into the membrane can do. That is, when negative pressure is formed inside each membrane of the membrane module plate 121 by the pump 141, room air, for example, is introduced into the membrane through the first header 122, and as described above, the membrane Moist air is introduced into the membrane from the air supplied to the inner space 115 due to a pressure difference between the outside and the inside of the membrane, and the air from which moisture has been removed is discharged to the room and dehumidification is performed.

The first header 122 and the second header 124 are provided with a connection pipe 126 through which air is introduced or discharged, respectively. A first duct 123 is coupled to the connection pipe of the first header 122, and the first duct 123 connects, for example, the connection pipe 126 of the first header 122 to the room, thereby purifying indoor air. It may be supplied to the inside of the first header 122 and the membrane through the first duct 123 . A second duct 125 is coupled to the connection pipe 126 of the second header 124, and a connection line 142 is connected to the second duct 125 so that the pump 141 forms negative pressure inside the membrane. and the wet air introduced into the membrane can be discharged to the outside.

According to one embodiment, each of the first header 122 and the second header 124 may include two connection pipes 126 . According to one embodiment, a connection pipe 126 through which fluid is introduced or discharged may be provided at both ends of the first header 122 and the second header 124, respectively. That is, as the connection tubes 126 are positioned at both ends of the first header 122, fluid is introduced into the membrane from both ends of the membrane module plate 121 through the first header 122, and the second header As the connection tubes 126 are positioned at both ends of 124, fluid is discharged from the inside of the membrane at both ends of the membrane module plate 121 through the second header 124. Accordingly, negative pressure is uniformly formed inside each of the plurality of membranes included in the membrane module plate 121, and dehumidification performance may be improved.

The air circulation system 100 including the membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments may further include a first filter 151 for filtering air moving from the inlet 113 to the inner space 115. In addition, the air circulation system 100 including the membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments may further include a second filter 152 for filtering air moving from the inner space 115 to the outlet 114. there is. The first filter 151 and the second filter 152 are positioned on both sides of the inner space 115 along the direction in which the air sucked into the inlet 113 moves inside the housing 110 to filter air. can For example, the first filter 151 may be a pre-filter and the second filter 152 may be a HEPA filter. Therefore, when the pump 141 is not operated and only the fan 130 is operated, the air circulation system 100 including the membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments does not perform dehumidification but only performs air purification mode. can be driven with Referring to FIG. 4 , the first filter 151 and the second filter 152 may be detachably coupled to the base 112 so that a user can easily replace or clean them.

5 shows an exemplary configuration of a control unit of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments. The controller 511 is connected to the remote controller 512, the temperature/humidity sensor 513, and the dust amount sensor 514, receives information, and controls the fan control unit 515 and the pump control unit 516 based on the received information. By controlling the speed of the fan 130 and the vacuum pressure of the pump 141 can be adjusted. The temperature/humidity sensor 513 and the dust amount sensor 514 measure the indoor temperature/humidity and the amount of dust, respectively, and provide them to the controller 511. The dust amount sensor 514 may measure the amount of fine dust in the room, for example. The controller 511 may control the fan 130 and the pump 141 by comparing the set humidity or indoor dust amount input from the remote controller 512 with the measured indoor humidity or indoor dust amount.

6 is an exemplary flowchart of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments, which is a mode capable of performing dehumidification and air purification. The controller compares the set humidity with the indoor humidity, and stops the operation of the fan and pump when the indoor humidity is lower than the set humidity. The controller operates the fan and pump when the indoor humidity is higher than the set humidity. When the indoor humidity is 1.1 times or less than the set humidity (for example, when the set humidity is 40%, the indoor humidity is 40% or more and 44% or less), the controller may operate the fan in one stage. When the indoor humidity is less than 1.2 times the set humidity (for example, when the set humidity is 40% and the indoor humidity is greater than 44% and less than 48%), the controller may operate the fan in two stages. When the indoor humidity is greater than 1.2 times the set humidity (for example, when the set humidity is 40% and the indoor humidity is greater than 48%), the controller may operate the fan in three stages. In this way, by driving the fan faster as the indoor humidity increases in the state where the pump is operated, dehumidification of the indoor air can be quickly performed.

7 is an exemplary flowchart of an operating method of an air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module according to the present embodiments, and is a mode capable of performing air purification. At this time, the pump does not operate. The controller compares the set amount of dust with the amount of indoor dust, and stops the operation of the fan when the amount of indoor dust is lower than the set amount of dust. The controller operates the fan when the indoor dust amount is greater than the set dust amount. When the indoor dust amount is less than 1.1 times the set dust amount (for example, when the set dust amount is 30μg/m^3, the indoor dust amount is between 30μg/m^3 and 33μg/m^3), the controller sets the fan to 1st stage. can drive When the indoor dust amount is 1.2 times or less than the set dust amount (for example, when the set dust amount is 30 μg/m^3 and the indoor dust amount is more than 33 μg/m^3 and less than 36 μg/m^3), the controller sets the fan to two stages. can drive The controller may operate the fan in three stages when the indoor dust amount is greater than 1.2 times the set dust amount (eg, when the set dust amount is 30 μg/m^3 and the indoor dust amount is greater than 36 μg/m^3). In this way, by driving the fan faster as the amount of indoor dust increases, it is possible to rapidly purify indoor air.

According to the air circulation system including the membrane dehumidification module having such a structure, it is possible to perform dehumidification and purification functions while circulating indoor air, and it is eco-friendly and has a high dehumidification effect with low manufacturing cost and power consumption. In addition, a system suitable for providing a built-in type can be provided because the overall size is small and the structure is simple.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present disclosure, and various modifications and variations can be made to those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the technical idea. In addition, since the present embodiments are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present disclosure, but to explain, the scope of the present technical idea is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be construed by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the scope of rights of the present disclosure.

100: air circulation system including a membrane dehumidification module 110: housing
111: cover 111a: slope
112: base 113: inlet
114: discharge port 115: inner space
120: membrane dehumidification module 121: membrane
122: first header 123: first duct
124: second header 125: second duct
126: first connector 127: second connector
130: fan 141: pump
142: connection line 143: discharge line
511: controller 512: remote control
513: temperature / humidity sensor 514: dust amount sensor
515: fan control unit 516: pump control unit

Claims (9)

a housing including a suction port and a discharge port, and having an inner space formed between the suction port and the discharge port;
a fan provided inside the housing and sucking air through the inlet;
a membrane dehumidifying module positioned in the inner space and configured to separate moisture from the air sucked through the inlet;
a pump connected to the membrane dehumidifying module;
An air circulation system comprising a membrane dehumidifying module comprising a. According to claim 1,
The air circulation system including a membrane dehumidification module, characterized in that the housing is built into the wall or ceiling surface of the building. According to claim 1,
The air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module, characterized in that the air sucked by the fan passes through the inner space and is discharged through the outlet. According to claim 3,
The air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module, characterized in that the inclined surface for guiding the air passing through the inner space to the outlet is formed on the housing. According to claim 1,
The membrane dehumidification module,
one or more membranes formed to allow fluid to flow therein;
a first header connected to the membrane and into which the fluid flows; and
a second header connected to the membrane and through which the fluid is discharged;
An air circulation dehumidification system comprising a membrane module, characterized in that it comprises a. According to claim 5,
An air circulation system including a membrane dehumidification module, characterized in that connection pipes for introducing or discharging the fluid are provided at both ends of the first header and the second header, respectively. According to claim 1,
The air circulation system including a membrane dehumidification module, characterized in that the pump is connected to a discharge line for discharging the separated moisture to the outside. According to claim 1,
The air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module further comprising a first filter for filtering air moving from the inlet to the inner space. According to claim 1,
The air circulation system including a membrane dehumidifying module further comprising a second filter for filtering air moving from the inner space to the outlet.

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