Temperature control device, electrostatic rectifier for temperature control device, and efficiency improvement method of temperature control device

Abstract

To provide a temperature control device capable of solving electrical problems of a medium to attain higher cooling efficiency, an electrostatic rectifier, and a cooling efficiency improvement method of a temperature control device.SOLUTION: A temperature control device comprises a medium pipe made of a conductive material and storing and circulating a medium, and a housing that houses the medium pipe, the temperature control device comprising an electrostatic rectifier that is electrically connected to the medium pipe and supplies pulsed signals that repeat at a frequency of 20 kHz or more and 40 kHz or less. Also, a method for improving the cooling effect of the temperature control device is a method for improving the cooling efficiency of the temperature control device, the method comprising supplying pulsed damping wave signals repeated at a frequency of 20 kHz or more and 40 kHz or less to the medium pipe by the electrostatic rectifier for the temperature control device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a temperature control device, an electrostatic rectifier for a temperature control device, and a method for improving the efficiency of a temperature control device, and more particularly, to an air conditioner and other products. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art When preserving various substances such as food, it is very important to store them at low temperatures. As equipment for preserving them at low temperatures, cooling devices such as refrigerators and coolers are commonly available.

[0003] In general, a cooling device is capable of cooling a substance to be cooled by cooling a refrigerant and supplying the cold heat of the refrigerant directly or indirectly to the substance to be cooled.

[0004] In addition, the refrigerants used for this purpose should have good stability and heat transfer efficiency, but in recent years, there has been an extremely high need and demand for reducing the impact on the global environment, and currently HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) and the like are becoming mainstream. These refrigerants are described, for example, in Patent Document 1 below. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-121927 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Although the above-mentioned refrigerants are capable of satisfying the required performance as refrigerants, there remains a problem with the amount of power they use, i.e., the cooling efficiency of the refrigerants.

[0007] To explain the above problem in detail, since refrigerants contain fluorine atoms in their molecular structure, many of them have polarity when their molecular structure is not symmetrical, and when the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant pipe, static electricity is generated due to friction between the refrigerant and the refrigerant pipe or between the refrigerant molecules. This static electricity remains on the inner surface of the refrigerant pipe, trapping the refrigerant and reducing the fluidity of the refrigerant. In addition, the refrigerant itself may gather into clusters due to its polarity and static electricity, which exacerbates this problem.

[0008] Regarding this issue, consideration has been given to earthing the refrigerant pipes to release static electricity, but doing so would result in all electrical processing for the refrigerant pipes being shielded, which would make it difficult to take any further electrical measures.

[0009] Although this problem is described with respect to a refrigerant, it can be said to be applicable to media in general. In other words, it is not limited to a medium for cooling (a refrigerant) but also to a medium for heating (a heating medium).

[0010] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a temperature control device, an electrostatic rectifier for a temperature control device, and a method for improving efficiency that can solve the electrical problems of the medium and achieve higher heat transfer efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In other words, a temperature control device according to one aspect of the present invention that solves the above-mentioned problems is a temperature control device that comprises a medium pipe formed from a conductive material that contains and circulates a medium, and a housing that contains the medium pipe, and also comprises an electrostatic rectifier that is electrically connected to the medium pipe and supplies a repeated pulse-like signal at a frequency of 20 kHz or more and 60 kHz or less.

[0012] In addition, in this respect, the medium is preferably a polar medium.

[0013] In addition, in this aspect, it is preferable that the housing and the medium pipe are electrically insulated or connected via a resistor.

[0014] In addition, in this aspect, it is preferable that the pulsed signal is an attenuated wave, and the period of the attenuated wave is not less than 2 MHz and not more than 10 MHz.

[0015] Moreover, an electrostatic rectifier for a temperature adjustment device according to another aspect of the present invention supplies a pulse-like signal that is repeated at a frequency of 20 kHz or more and 60 kHz or less.

[0016] In addition, in this aspect, it is preferable that the pulsed signal is an attenuated wave, and the period of the attenuated wave is not less than 2 MHz and not more than 10 MHz.

[0017] Furthermore, a method for improving the efficiency of a temperature control device according to another aspect of the present invention is a method for improving the efficiency of a temperature control device comprising a medium pipe formed of a conductive material for containing and circulating a medium, and a housing for containing the medium pipe, wherein the temperature control device comprises an electrostatic rectifier connected to the medium pipe, and the electrostatic rectifier supplies a repeated pulse-like signal having a frequency of 20 kHz or more and 60 kHz or less to the medium pipe.

[0018] In addition, in this aspect, it is preferable that the pulse-like signal is an attenuating wave, and that an attenuating wave signal having a period of 2 MHz to 10 MHz is supplied to the medium tube. Effect of the Invention

[0019] As described above, the present invention can provide a temperature control device, an electrostatic rectifier for a temperature control device, and a method for improving the efficiency of a temperature control device, which can solve electrical problems of a medium and achieve higher heat transfer efficiency. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a temperature adjustment device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 1 is an image of a cluster of media being formed. [Diagram 3] This is an image of what happens when medium clusters become smaller. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a waveform of a pulse-like damping wave signal generated by an electrostatic rectifier of a temperature adjustment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit of an electrostatic rectifier of a temperature adjusting device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another example of a temperature adjustment device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating waveform signals generated by an electrostatic rectifier according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an experimental system in an example. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing experimental results in an example. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THEINVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be embodied in many different forms, and the specific examples described in the following embodiments and examples can be appropriately modified and adjusted, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0022] (cooling device) Fig. 1 is a functional block diagram of a temperature control device according to this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "this device"). As shown in this figure, this temperature control device 1 is a temperature control device formed of a conductive material, and includes a medium pipe 2 that contains and circulates a medium, and a housing 3 that contains the medium pipe 2, the housing 3 and the medium pipe 2 being electrically insulated, and further includes an electrostatic rectifier 4 connected to the medium pipe 2.

[0023] The temperature control device may be a cooling device that cools an object to be stored, or a heating device that heats it, but for ease of explanation, the temperature control device will be described as a cooling device. In other words, the temperature control device is a concept that includes a cooling device and a heating device, and in the examples below, "cooling device" can be read as "temperature control device" as necessary, and "refrigerant" can be read as "medium" as necessary.

[0024] When the temperature adjustment device 1 is a cooling device, various forms can be adopted as the product, for example, refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners such as air conditioners (air conditioners, coolers, air conditioning for clean rooms in semiconductor manufacturing equipment processes, etc.), chillers, heat pumps, etc. However, for ease of explanation, the present embodiment will be described using a specific example of a refrigerator. Note that cooling devices are generally devices that perform cooling by utilizing a refrigeration cycle of compression, condensation-liquefaction, expansion-vaporization, and compression for a refrigerant.

[0025] As shown in the figure, the temperature adjustment device 1 comprises a medium pipe 2, a housing 3, and an electrostatic rectifier 4, but in addition to these, it is preferable that the temperature adjustment device 1 also comprises a heat-retaining chamber 5 for storing an object (object) to be cooled or heated. By providing the heat-retaining chamber 5, it becomes possible to store and cool an object to be cooled in the heat-retaining chamber 5. In the case of a cooling device, this corresponds to a refrigerator chamber or a freezer chamber, and in the case of a heating device, this corresponds to a heating chamber.

[0026] Furthermore, in this temperature control device 1, the medium pipe 2 forms a circulation path and is connected to the compressor 6, radiator 7, cooler 8, etc. along the way. As the medium contained in the medium pipe 2 circulates inside it, it is compressed and liquefied by the compressor 7, and the radiator 7 releases heat from the medium to the outside, and the cooler 8 absorbs surrounding heat (specifically, heat inside the heat-retaining chamber 5) and vaporizes the medium. In other words, the cooler 8 can supply cold to the surroundings, and can function as a temperature control device, i.e., a cooling device.

[0027] In addition, in the present temperature control device 1, the medium is preferably, but not limited to, a polar medium from the viewpoint of being able to significantly exhibit the effect of the present temperature control device 1. In the case of a polar medium, while it has the characteristic that the medium efficiency is high due to its polarity, there is a problem that the polarity causes the formation of medium clusters. More specifically, halogens such as chlorine and fluorine present in the medium molecules have high polarity, so they tend to interact with adjacent medium molecules and form clusters. When these clusters are formed, a flow occurs in cluster units within the medium tube, resulting in a decrease in the heat exchange efficiency and the medium cannot fully function. Figure 2 shows an image diagram of a cluster. However, as described later, by using the present temperature control device and electrostatic rectifier, the interaction between the medium molecules is eliminated, making it easier to eliminate the clusters. This improves the heat transfer efficiency. Therefore, a polar medium is preferable.

[0028] Although some of the above will be repeated, we will explain in detail how clusters are eliminated. As mentioned above, when a polar medium is used, the uneven charge in the medium molecules creates a force that tries to bond between the molecules. However, since the molecules in this group change partners each time they form clusters, adding free electrons (sedium electrons) to a model with a certain degree of dynamism can reduce the size of the clusters and improve the efficiency of the medium. An image of this is shown in Figure 3.

[0029] In addition, in the present temperature control device 1, the polar medium is not particularly limited, but in the case of a refrigerant, R 32 (CH2F2) and R 125 (C2HF5), and mixtures thereof, can be exemplified, but are not limited to these.

[0030] In the present temperature control device 1, the housing 3 is a member capable of housing the cooling pipe 2, heat-retaining chamber 5, compressor 6, radiator 7, cooler 8, etc. The housing 3 makes it possible to hold these components as an integrated unit. The housing 3 holds the heat-retaining chamber 5, and may also be provided with a sliding member and a door member for moving the heat-retaining chamber in and out, and further preferably includes a packing member or the like for improving the sealing performance of the heat-retaining chamber 5.

[0031] In addition, in the present temperature control device 1, the housing 3 and the medium pipe 2 are electrically insulated as described above. Specifically, this means that the medium pipe 2 is not grounded in its circulation path. In a general temperature control device, if it is not grounded, there is a high possibility that it will become charged, so in order to avoid malfunctions due to this charging, the cooling pipe 2 itself is grounded or the housing 3 that houses it is electrically connected and grounded. However, in the present temperature control device 1, the state in which it is electrically insulated from the housing 3 and not grounded is maintained because it is necessary to control the charged state using an electrostatic rectifier described later. Incidentally, the medium pipe 2 needs to be physically contacted and held in the housing 3 because it needs to be housed therein, but this contact and holding can be achieved by using a material having electrical insulating properties, such as insulating rubber, and the cooling pipe 2 can be installed inside and around the housing 3. However, even if it is not completely electrically insulated, it can be electrically connected via a resistor as long as the signal from the electrostatic rectifier can be sufficiently transmitted.

[0032] Moreover, the electrostatic rectifier 4 in the present temperature control device 1 supplies a pulsed signal. Although there are repetitive parts, what the electrostatic rectifier 4 in the present temperature control device 1 supplies is an electric signal whose voltage (amplitude) changes over time, and the waveform of this electric signal is a pulsed signal. "Pulsed" means that the signal appears at regular intervals. In addition, in the present temperature control device, it is preferable that the pulsed signal is a damped wave signal in order to achieve more efficient heat transfer efficiency. Here, the "damped wave signal" means a periodically repeated signal whose amplitude decreases over time, but may include a pulse and a harmonic wave superimposed thereon. An example of a pulsed damped wave signal generated by the electrostatic rectifier 4 is shown in FIG. 4.

[0033] In addition, in the present temperature control device 1, the electrostatic rectifier 4 preferably supplies a pulsed damped wave signal that is repeated at a frequency of 20 kHz or more and 40 kHz or less, more preferably 33 kHz or less. This frequency is the so-called pulse frequency. In terms of repetition time, the pulsed damped wave signal is supplied at intervals of 20 μs or more and 50 μs or less, more preferably 30 μs or less. Although there is some speculation about this effect, it is believed that by providing a pulsed signal in the above range, it is possible to supply positive electrons to the medium in a pulsating manner, which is transmitted to the clusters of the medium as vibrations, and a force is applied to break down the clusters. This effect becomes more pronounced by using a damped wave. Note that the term "positive electron" here refers to electrons used to neutralize polarity.

[0034] Furthermore, in the case of an attenuating wave in the temperature control device 1, the period of the signal within one attenuating wave signal is preferably 2 MHz or more and 10 MHz or less, more preferably 5 MHz or less. This frequency means the period within one attenuating wave signal, and in terms of time interval, it is 0.1 μs or more and 0.5 μs or less, preferably 0.2 μs or less. The effect of adding a wave in this range is also partially inferred as in the case of the above-mentioned pulsed attenuating wave signal, but it is believed that by making it an attenuating wave signal, the impact of the pulse can be effectively transmitted to the medium.

[0035] Furthermore, the electrostatic rectifier 4 of the present temperature control device 1 receives power from a power source, more specifically an external power source, and even more specifically a household power source, generates the above-mentioned pulsed attenuated wave signal, and supplies the attenuated wave signal to the medium via the medium pipe by electrically contacting the medium pipe. The structure of the electrostatic rectifier 4 is not limited as long as it can generate an attenuated wave signal as described above, and can be realized by a circuit such as that shown in FIG. 5, for example.

[0036] As shown in the circuit diagram, the electrostatic rectifier 4 is configured to have at least an AD converter 41 that is connected to an external AC power source and converts the AC power source into DC, a signal generator 42 that generates a base signal, an operational amplifier 43 that receives these inputs, and an output terminal 44 that transmits the output of the operational amplifier 43. The above-mentioned signals can be supplied to the cooling pipe from the input terminal of the cooling pipe. In addition, a capacitor and a resistor can be disposed between them to adjust the voltage, etc., as appropriate.

[0037] In addition, in this temperature control device 1, the electrostatic rectifier 4 is electrically connected to the periphery of the medium tube 2, making it possible to supply electric charge to the medium. More specifically, the supply of electric charge is made possible by contacting the output end of the electrostatic rectifier with the medium tube. In this case, the position where the output end is contacted may be any position within the circulation path of the conductive medium tube, but in consideration of the efficiency of the charge supply, it is preferable that it is a position closer to a portion in a liquid state than a portion in a gaseous state, and more preferably a portion in a cooled state. In other words, it is preferable to place it between the compressor and the radiator.

[0038] Incidentally, one of the features of this temperature control device 1 is that it is equipped with an electrostatic rectifier 4, but it is also possible to use commercially available components for the other components. That is, after insulating the casing and medium pipe of a temperature control device such as a commonly sold refrigerator, the electrostatic rectifier 4 may be attached and the above-mentioned signal may be supplied. This allows for easy improvement.

[0039] (method) From the above description, the method for improving the cooling efficiency of a temperature control device using the present temperature control device 1 (hereinafter referred to as "the method") is clear, but just to be sure, the method will be described. As is clear from the above description, the method is a method for improving the efficiency of a temperature control device that includes a medium pipe formed of a conductive material and that contains and circulates a medium, and a housing that contains the medium pipe, and the housing and the medium pipe are electrically insulated from each other, and further includes an electrostatic rectifier connected to the medium pipe, and the electrostatic rectifier supplies to the medium pipe a pulse-shaped attenuating wave signal that is repeated at a frequency of 20 kHz to 40 kHz, and has a period within the attenuating wave of 2 MHz to 10 MHz. The effects of these are as described above.

[0040] As described above, the temperature adjustment device 1 and the method can solve the electrical problems of the medium and achieve higher heat transfer efficiency.

[0041] (Other forms) The temperature control device 1 has been described above using an example of a refrigerator, but is not limited thereto as long as it has an electrostatic rectifier 4 and a cooling pipe that forms a circulation path for circulating a medium, and can be applied to a cooling system that uses, for example, a so-called cooling tower. A schematic diagram of this case is shown in FIG.

[0042] The cooling system shown in this figure is arranged in a building, for example, and is configured with a medium pipe branched and laid throughout the building, and a cooling tower installed on the roof of the building. The medium pipe is laid throughout the building, comes into contact with the object to be cooled, and absorbs heat. The absorbed heat is then dissipated in the cooling tower, thereby cooling at least one of the building and the object to be cooled within the building. As described above, the electrostatic rectifier is connected to the cooling pipe, the signal is applied to the medium, and an electric charge is supplied, thereby improving and enhancing the cooling efficiency. Furthermore, in the case of a cooling tower, when the medium is water, the pulsed signal has the effect of removing scale that adheres to the pipe wall caused by calcium, magnesium, etc. contained in the water.

[0043] In the present embodiment, the cooling device has been described as an example for the sake of ease of understanding, but the present invention can also be applied to a heating device, such as, but not limited to, a floor heating device, a hot water supply device, a boiler, etc. EXAMPLES

[0044] Here, the above-mentioned temperature control device was actually prototyped and its effects were confirmed as follows.

[0045] First, we actually created the electrical circuit of the electrostatic rectifier shown in the figure above, and generated a pulsed decay wave signal. Figure 7 shows the pulsed decay wave signal that was actually generated. This figure shows the results of observing the signal wave using an oscilloscope. Note that (B) in the figure is an enlarged view of a portion of (A). As a result, a pulsed signal was applied every 40 μs, and by examining this pulsed signal in detail, we were able to confirm that it was a decay wave with a period of 200 ns (0.2 μs).

[0046] Next, the output of the electrostatic rectifier prepared above was connected to an electrode, and it was placed in a tank filled with water as an example of a polar medium, and various physical properties such as the oxidation-reduction potential, pH, etc. are confirmed. Figure 8 shows a diagram of this experimental system, and Figure 9 shows the result of the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP potential).

[0047] As shown in this figure, it was confirmed that the ORP potential decreased over time by applying a pulsed decay wave using an electrostatic rectifier, but other physical properties were hardly affected.

[0048] In this state, when cold or hot water was added to the water connected to the electrodes to check the cooling efficiency, it was confirmed that the temperature only decreased by about 3 degrees when not connected to the electrostatic rectifier, whereas the temperature decreased by about 6 degrees when connected to the electrostatic rectifier. In other words, this embodiment confirmed the effects of this temperature control device and electrostatic rectifier. [Industrial Applicability]

[0049] The present invention has industrial applicability as a temperature control device, an electrostatic rectifier, and a method for improving the cooling efficiency of a temperature control device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1...Temperature control device 2...media tube 3. Housing 4. Electrostatic rectifier 5...Keeping room 5 6. Compressor 7...Radiator 8...Cooler

Claims

1. A medium pipe formed of a conductive material and containing and circulating a medium; A temperature control device comprising: a housing that accommodates the medium pipe, an electrostatic rectifier electrically connected to the medium tube and supplying a repeated pulse-shaped signal having a frequency of 20 kHz or more and 60 kHz or less.

2. 2. The temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein the medium is a polar medium.

3. 2. The temperature control device according to claim 1, wherein the housing and the medium pipe are electrically connected to each other via insulation or resistance.

4. 4. The temperature control device according to claim 3, wherein the pulse signal is an attenuating wave, and the period of the attenuating wave is 2 MHz to 10 MHz.

5. 2. The temperature control device according to claim 1, which is an air conditioner.

6. An electrostatic rectifier for a temperature control device that supplies a repeated pulse signal with a frequency of 20 kHz to 60 kHz.

7. 7. The electrostatic rectifier for a temperature control device according to claim 6, wherein the pulse-like signal is an attenuating wave, and the period of the attenuating wave is 2 MHz to 10 MHz.

8. A medium pipe formed of a conductive material and containing and circulating a medium; A method for improving efficiency of a temperature control device comprising: The temperature control device includes an electrostatic rectifier connected to the medium pipe, A method for improving the efficiency of a temperature control device, comprising the steps of: supplying a repeated pulse-like signal having a frequency of 20 kHz or more and 60 kHz or less to the medium tube by the electrostatic rectifier.

9. 9. The method for improving efficiency of a temperature control device according to claim 8, wherein the pulse-like signal is an attenuating wave, and an attenuating wave signal having a period of 2 MHz to 10 MHz is supplied to the medium pipe.

10. The method for improving efficiency of a temperature control device according to claim 8, wherein the temperature control device is an air conditioner.

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