Air purification system for clean room

Abstract

To provide an air purification system for a clean room capable of suppressing biological contamination caused by an operation of an incubator.SOLUTION: A clean room includes: a first air supply part (blowout port 2, filter unit 3, air conditioner 4, supply air duct 5) for supplying clean air to a target space S; and a second air supply part (circulation duct 10, suction port 11, filter unit 12, blowout port 13) for sucking air from the target space S and supplying the air again into the target space S as clean air. The blowout port 13 is disposed at a position for supplying air toward an inlet / outlet 9a of an incubator 9 or a space before the inlet / outlet, and the suction port 11 is disposed next to the inlet / outlet 9a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air purification system for a clean room. [Background technology]

[0002] In clean rooms (also called bio-clean rooms or biological clean rooms) used for various operations including the cultivation of microorganisms and cells, the indoor environment is kept clean by various mechanisms such as dust removal using filters and irradiation with ultraviolet rays to prevent biological contamination caused by unintended organisms being mixed into the objects.

[0003] Examples of documents that describe technology for supplying clean air using an air filter and forming a bio-clean room include Patent Document 1 listed below. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-162210 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, even if such a mechanism is used to maintain the cleanliness of the target space, it is difficult to completely prevent the occurrence of contamination. In particular, incubators are sometimes installed in bioclean rooms for the purpose of culturing, but condensation often occurs on the temperature control mechanism of the incubator, which can cause the occurrence of mold. In addition, shakers that vibrate culture containers such as flasks and petri dishes to maintain the uniformity of the contents may be in operation in the incubator, and the vibrations may make it easier for mold spores and other particles to get into the culture container, and opening and closing the incubator door may also lead to contamination. Furthermore, since incubators are originally installed for culturing organisms, they are devices for maintaining a temperature environment suitable for the reproduction of organisms, and it can be said that in incubators, conditions are in place that make it easy for biological contamination to spread once it has been generated or mixed in. Therefore, a technology has been desired that, while installing an incubator in a clean room, can suppress the occurrence and spread of physical contamination associated with the operation of the incubator.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide an air purification system for a clean room that can suppress biological contamination that occurs during the operation of an incubator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to an air purification system for a clean room, characterized by comprising a first air supply unit that supplies clean air to a target space, and a second air supply unit that draws in air from the target space and supplies it again as clean air into the target space.

[0008] In the clean room air purification system of the present invention, the air outlet of the second air supply section can be positioned at a position that supplies air toward the entrance / exit of an incubator installed in the target space or the space in front of that entrance.

[0009] In the clean room air purification system of the present invention, the air inlet of the second air supply unit can be disposed next to the entrance / exit of an incubator installed in the target space.

[0010] In the clean room air purification system of the present invention, the second air supply section can be configured to be installed next to an incubator installed in the target space, and to include a circulation duct extending in the vertical direction, an intake port provided at the bottom of the circulation duct, and an exhaust port provided at the top of the circulation duct for supplying air toward the entrance / exit of the incubator or the space in front of it.

[0011] In the clean room air purification system of the present invention, the second air supply section can be configured to include an intake port that draws in air within the target space, a circulation duct that connects an exhaust port that supplies air toward the entrance / exit of an incubator installed in the target space or the space in front of it, and an air conditioner installed in the circulation duct. Effect of the Invention

[0012] The clean room air purification system of the present invention can provide an excellent effect of suppressing biological contamination that occurs during the operation of an incubator. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic elevational view illustrating an example (first embodiment) of the overall configuration of a clean room to which the present invention is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the first embodiment of FIG. 1; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the periphery of an incubator in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic elevational view for explaining another example (second embodiment) of the overall configuration of a clean room to which the present invention is applied. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the second embodiment of FIG. 4; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] 1 to 3 show an example (first embodiment) of the air purification system for a clean room according to the present invention. A filter unit (first filter unit) 3 is installed in an air outlet (first air outlet) 2 provided in a ceiling 1 of the target space S, and an air conditioner 4 is installed outside the target space S. The outside air introduced here is adjusted in temperature and humidity, and is sent to the filter unit 3 through an air supply duct 5. The filter unit 3 is a device in which a filter such as a HEPA filter is arranged in the air flow path, and the air sent out from the air conditioner 4 passes through the filter unit 3 to remove dust and biological particles, and is sent out as clean air to the target space S below. The filter unit 3 may be configured as a fan filter unit (FFU) equipped with a fan in addition to a filter. In this first embodiment, the first air outlet 2, the first filter unit 3, the air conditioner 4 and the intake air duct 5 constitute a first air supply section, and the operation of these sections supplies clean air whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted into the target space S.

[0016] Further, an exhaust port 7 is provided near the floor 6 of the target space S, and a portion of the air in the target space S is discharged from here. In this way, in the target space S, which is a clean room, clean air is supplied from the first air supply unit while indoor air that may contain dust and biological particles is appropriately discharged, thereby maintaining the cleanliness of the air in the target space S. Note that, although a configuration in which the entire amount of air taken in from the air conditioner 4 is outside air has been described here, for example, a portion of the indoor air may be taken in again by the air conditioner 4 and circulated.

[0017] In the target space S, equipment necessary for using the target space S, which is a bio-clean room, such as a clean bench, a safety cabinet, an isolator, an incubator, etc., is appropriately installed. Here, a safety cabinet 8 and an incubator 9 are illustrated as examples of such equipment.

[0018] The incubator 9 is a device that forms a space for accommodating a target organism (animal or plant, or its tissue or cell, fungus, microorganism, etc.) and keeps the inside of the space at a temperature suitable for the growth and reproduction of the organism. It is equipped with a housing that forms the space and a temperature control device that keeps the inside at an appropriate temperature. The housing of the incubator 9 may be a box large enough to accommodate a culture vessel such as a petri dish or a flask, or may be a large box tall enough for a person to enter and exit. In this first embodiment, the incubator 9 is assumed to be a large device tall enough for a person to enter and exit. The housing of the incubator 9 is provided with an opening and closing door 9a for people or objects such as instruments and samples to enter and exit.

[0019] Furthermore, this first embodiment is characterized in that in addition to the first air supply section constituted by the first air outlet 2, the first filter unit 3, the air conditioner 4, and the air intake duct 5, a second air supply section is provided adjacent to the incubator 9.

[0020] The second air supply section is composed of a circulation duct 10 forming a vertical flow path extending from the floor 6 of the target space S to the height of the ceiling 1 above the upper end of the entrance / exit 9a of the incubator 9, an intake port 11 provided at the lower part of the circulation duct 10 (at a height near the floor 6), a filter unit (second filter unit) 12 provided at the intake port 11, and an outlet (second outlet) 13 provided at the upper part of the circulation duct 10 (at the upper end of the entrance / exit 9a of the incubator 9 or above).

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the circulation duct 10 is a duct provided in a position adjacent to the incubator 9 along the vertical direction. An intake port 11 opens at a height near the floor 6, and the position where the intake port 11 is provided is next to the lower part of the entrance 9a of the incubator 9 (the part where the feet of a person entering and leaving the incubator 9 or putting things in and taking things out of the incubator 9 are located). In addition, when the door provided at the entrance 9a is a single-leaf door, the position of the intake port 11 is on the side where the door opens and closes (the opposite side of the opening and closing fulcrum of the door). In the example shown in FIG. 3, the left side of the door of the entrance 9a opens and closes with respect to the frame, and the intake port 11 is provided at the lower part on the left side of the entrance 9a. A second filter unit 12 is provided at a position immediately inside the intake port 11.

[0022] The second filter unit 12 is a device called a fan filter unit (FFU) equipped with a fan on the filter, and the fan is operated to blow air onto the filter, and the purified air that passes through the filter is sent into the circulation duct 10 (alternatively, the second filter unit 12 itself may not be equipped with a fan, and the air in the second air supply unit may be driven by a fan or the like equipped separately from the second filter unit 12). The types of filters may be different between the first filter unit 3 and the second filter unit 12, for example, the filter of the first filter unit 3 may be a HEPA filter, and the filter of the second filter unit 12 may be a medium-performance filter. Basically, the cleanliness of the target space S is generally maintained by the first air supply unit, and even if biological particles such as mold are generated in the target space S, most of them are considered to be attached to the surfaces of solid particles such as sand grains, so even if the filter equipped in the filter unit 12 of the second air supply unit does not have the same performance as a HEPA filter, it is considered to be sufficient for the air purification performance described later.

[0023] The circulation duct 10 extends upward from the position of the intake port 11 along the side of the incubator 9, bends at the height of the upper end of the incubator 9, and overhangs above the entrance / exit 9a (overhanging portion 10a). In the case of this first embodiment, the upper end of the circulation duct 10 extending in the vertical direction bends horizontally as it extends above the upper surface of the incubator 9, and further extends horizontally above the entrance / exit 9a to form the overhanging portion 10a. The air outlet 13 is provided on the lower surface of this overhanging portion 10a, and supplies air downward toward the entrance / exit 9a.

[0024] Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

[0025] As described above, clean air is supplied to the target space S, which is a clean room, by the operation of the first air supply unit (first air outlet 2, first filter unit 3, air conditioner 4, and air supply duct 5). In addition, within the target space S, devices such as a safety cabinet 8 and an incubator 9 are operated according to the purpose.

[0026] In such a target space S, biological particles may be brought in when the entrance is opened and closed, or when people or objects enter and exit. In particular, in the incubator 9, mold spores may be captured by condensation on the temperature control mechanism, and may grow using the moisture of the condensation. Furthermore, in the incubator 9, a shaker may be operated to vibrate the culture, and even if not, vibrations may occur when the entrance 9a is opened and closed. The vibrations stir up biological particles that are retained on the surface of the floor 6 or at a height near it, causing the biological particles to become mixed into the target object such as the culture that should be kept clean. In other words, the incubator 9 used in the target space S is required to be clean for its intended use, but by its nature, it can be said to be a device that can cause biological contamination during operation.

[0027] Therefore, in this first embodiment, in addition to a first air supply unit that supplies clean air to the entire target space S, a second air supply unit that purifies the air around the incubator 9 is provided, thereby suppressing biological contamination that occurs during the operation of the incubator 9.

[0028] In the second air supply unit installed adjacent to the incubator 9, a fan attached to a second filter unit 12 provided at the intake port 11 is in operation, and the fan draws in air near the lower part of the entrance / exit 9a, which passes through a filter to be purified and then drawn into the circulation duct 10. The drawn-in air passes upward through the circulation duct 10 and is sent out again as purified air from the second air outlet 13 to the target space S. In this way, the second air supply unit circulates the air while purifying it, using the inside of the circulation duct 10 and the space near the entrance / exit of the incubator 9 as a flow path.

[0029] In the incubator 9, biological particles such as mold may occur inside or may remain in areas near the height of the floor 6 inside and outside. Such biological particles may float around or be stirred up by the air currents caused by the opening and closing of the entrance 9a. The second air supply unit is configured to suck air containing such biological particles from the suction port 11 adjacent to the entrance 9a by operating a fan provided in the second filter unit 12. If the second air supply unit is not provided, the biological particles present near the incubator 9 cannot be removed from the air in the target space S until they are mixed with the air current and flow out from the exhaust port 7. However, in the first embodiment, by providing the second air supply unit near the incubator 9, the biological particles around the incubator 9 can be quickly treated. In other words, if the incubator 9 becomes a source of contamination, the biological particles are sucked in from the suction port 11 located next to the entrance 9a, and diffusion into the target space S is suppressed. Furthermore, if there is a contaminant outside the incubator 9, biological particles derived from the contaminant are sucked in through the suction port 11 located next to the entrance 9a, thereby preventing them from entering the incubator 9. In this way, by arranging the suction port 11 next to the entrance 9a of the incubator 9, it is possible to strongly attract airflow and prevent biological particles from entering the incubator 9 and from diffusing biological particles from the incubator 9 to the outside of the incubator 9. In order to achieve such an effect, it is most preferable to set the distance between the entrance 9a and the suction port 11 to zero (to place the suction port 11 adjacent to the entrance 9a), but if this is difficult in terms of the arrangement in the target space S, they may be slightly separated, for example, about 1 m may be set as the upper limit of the distance between the entrance of the incubator and the suction port.

[0030] In addition, the incubator 9 contains objects such as cultures that should be prevented from biological contamination, and these objects enter and exit through the entrance 9a. When entering and exiting, there is a concern that biological particles may enter the incubator 9 due to the airflow generated by opening and closing the door, and the biological particles may adhere to the objects. That is, a cause of biological contamination in the incubator 9 is, for example, when an object is brought into the incubator 9, an airflow containing biological particles may be entrained with the object or the person carrying it. In this first embodiment, an air outlet 13 of the second air supply unit is provided above the entrance 9a, and air purified by the second filter unit 12 is blown from this second air outlet 13 into the space near the entrance 9a. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence and spread of biological contamination caused by the airflow containing biological particles entraining the object entering and exiting the entrance 9a.

[0031] In the first embodiment, the filter unit 12 is provided at the inlet 11, which is the most upstream portion, regarding the air flow in the second air supply section, and since no particular device that may cause biological contamination is provided inside the circulation duct 10, clean air circulates in the flow path inside the circulation duct 10. In other words, in the second air supply section, air that may contain biological particles taken in near the incubator 9 is not taken in and circulated as is, but is promptly treated by the filter unit 12 provided at the most upstream portion to prevent the spread of contamination downstream.

[0032] Thus, in this first embodiment, in addition to a first air supply unit that supplies clean air to the entire target space S, which is a clean room, a second air supply unit is provided that purifies and circulates air in a portion of the target space S (around the incubator 9).This second air supply unit collects biological particles around the incubator 9 and supplies purified air near the entrance / exit 9a of the incubator 9, thereby effectively suppressing biological contamination that may occur locally within the target space S.

[0033] In addition, as the equipment installed and used in the target space S, for example, a clean bench or other device having a function of locally supplying clean air is also assumed, but such equipment does not fall under the "second air supply unit" as used in this specification. In this specification, the "first supply unit" refers to a functional part that supplies clean air to the entire target space S used as a clean room, and the "second air supply unit" refers to a functional part that supplies clean air to a part of the space in the target space S (particularly, the space around the incubator 9). Although equipment such as a clean bench has a function of supplying clean air to the space defined by the equipment, it is not intended to send clean air into the target space S (for example, the cleanliness of the air supplied to the clean bench may be high when it is supplied to the clean bench, but may be reduced when it is discharged outside the clean bench), so it does not fall under the "second air supply unit".

[0034] Figures 4 and 5 show the configuration of another example (second embodiment) of the form of the clean room air purification system according to the present invention. The second embodiment has a basic configuration that is roughly the same as the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, but differs from the first embodiment in the arrangement of the second air supply unit, which is installed outside the target space S and is equipped with an air conditioner (second air conditioner).

[0035] The second air supply unit and its surrounding structure in the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the circulation duct 14 forms a flow path extending from the floor 6 to above the ceiling 1 of the target space S, with the intake port 15 serving as the inlet being set at a height near the floor 6 and the second air outlet 16 serving as the outlet being set on the ceiling 1.

[0036] For convenience, the portion of the circulation duct 14 from the intake port 15 near the floor 6 to the ceiling 1 is referred to as the upstream portion 14a, and the portion above the ceiling 1 is referred to as the downstream portion 14b. The upstream portion 14a forms a vertical flow path extending from the floor 6 to the ceiling 1, and the intake port 15 is provided at the bottom of the upstream portion 14a. In the example shown here, an incubator 9 of a type in which boxes of several tens of centimeters are stacked in multiple layers is provided in the target space S, and the upstream portion 14a is provided in a corner of the target space S near the incubator 9 (see FIG. 5). The intake port 15 provided at the bottom of the upstream portion 14a is located next to the entrance / exit 9a of the incubator 9 at the lowest level. The outlet side of the upstream portion 14a at the height of the ceiling 1 is connected to the inlet side of the downstream portion 14b above the ceiling 1, and the outlet side of the downstream portion 14b is connected to an outlet (second outlet 16) provided in the ceiling 1. That is, downstream section 14b first extends upward from the outlet side of upstream section 14a, which is at the height of ceiling 1, then turns back downward and extends to air outlet 16, which is at the same height of ceiling 1. In this way, circulation duct 14 connects suction inlet 15, which is provided at a height near floor 6, with air outlet 16, which is provided at the height of ceiling 1.

[0037] The second air outlet 16 is provided above the space in front of the entrance 9a of the incubator 9 (see FIG. 5; the second air outlet 16 may be provided above the entrance 9a as in the first embodiment). An air conditioner (second air conditioner) 17 is provided in the middle of the downstream portion 14b of the circulation duct 14, and a filter unit (second filter unit) 18 is provided at the position of the second air outlet 16. The filter unit 18 is, for example, a medium-performance filter or a HEPA filter, and the air that passes through it is supplied as clean air to the space in front of the entrance 9a. Thus, in this second embodiment, the circulation duct 14, the intake port 15, the second air outlet 16, the second air conditioner 17, and the filter unit 18 constitute a second air supply section.

[0038] In the second embodiment having such a configuration for the second air supply unit, the second air supply unit purifies the air around the incubator 9, thereby suppressing biological contamination that may occur with the operation of the incubator 9. That is, in the second air supply unit, the second air conditioner 17 provided in the middle of the circulation duct 14 operates to suck in air from the intake port 15 near the lower part of the entrance 9a of the incubator 9, and the air passes through the circulation duct 14 and is supplied from the second outlet 16 to the space near the entrance 9a of the incubator 9, during which the air is purified by passing through the filter unit 18 provided in the second outlet 16. In this way, biological contamination that may occur around the incubator 9 can be effectively suppressed.

[0039] As described above, each of the above embodiments includes a first air supply unit (air outlet 2, filter unit 3, air conditioner 4, supply air duct 5) that supplies clean air to the target space S, and a second air supply unit (circulation duct 10, intake port 11, filter unit 12, air outlet 13 or circulation duct 14, intake port 15, air outlet 16, air conditioner 17, filter unit 18) that draws in air from the target space S and supplies it again as clean air into the target space S. In this way, by providing, in addition to the first air supply unit, the second air supply unit that circulates air while purifying it in a portion of the target space S, biological contamination that may occur locally in the target space S can be effectively suppressed.

[0040] In each embodiment, the air outlets 13, 16 of the second air supply unit are disposed at positions for supplying air toward the entrance 9a of the incubator 9 installed in the target space S or toward the space in front of the entrance 9a. In this way, purified air is blown from the outlets 13, 16 toward the space near the entrance 9a, thereby making it possible to suppress the generation and spread of biological contamination that accompanies the opening and closing of the entrance 9a.

[0041] In each embodiment, the air intake ports 11, 15 in the second air supply unit are disposed next to the entrance 9a of the incubator 9 installed in the target space S. In this way, airflow containing biological particles that may be generated when the entrance 9a is opened or closed is sucked in through the intake ports 11, 15 disposed next to the entrance 9a, thereby quickly treating the biological particles around the incubator 9.

[0042] In some embodiments, the second air supply section is installed next to an incubator 9 installed in the target space S, and is configured to include a circulation duct 10 extending in the vertical direction, an intake port 11 provided at the bottom of the circulation duct 10, and an exhaust port 13 provided at the top of the circulation duct 10, which supplies air toward the entrance / exit 9a of the incubator 9 or the space in front of it.

[0043] In some embodiments, the second air supply section is configured to include an intake port 15 that draws in air within the target space S, a circulation duct 14 that connects an exhaust port 16 that supplies air toward the entrance / exit 9a of an incubator 9 installed within the target space S or the space in front of it, and an air conditioner 17 installed in the circulation duct 14.

[0044] Therefore, according to the present embodiment, biological contamination that occurs during the operation of the incubator can be suppressed.

[0045] Incidentally, the clean room air purification system of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 2 Air outlet (first air outlet, first air supply unit) 3 Filter unit (first filter unit, first air supply unit) 4. Air conditioner (first air supply unit) 5. Air supply duct (first air supply section) 9 Incubator (equipment) 9a Entrance / exit 10 Circulation duct (second air supply section) 11 Intake port (second air supply section) 12 Fan filter unit (second filter unit, second air supply unit) 13 Air outlet (second air outlet, second air supply unit) 14 Circulation duct (second air supply section) 15 Intake port (second air supply section) 16 Air outlet (second air outlet, second air supply unit) 17 Air conditioner (second air conditioner, second air supply unit) 18 Filter unit (second filter unit, second air supply unit) S target space

Claims

1. A first air supply unit that supplies clean air to the target space; A second air supply unit that draws in air from the target space and supplies it again as clean air into the target space; An air purification system for a clean room comprising:

2. The air outlet of the second air supply unit is disposed at a position for supplying air toward an entrance of an incubator installed in the target space or toward a space in front of the entrance.

2. The clean room air purification system according to claim 1 .

3. The air intake port of the second air supply unit is disposed next to an entrance of an incubator installed in the target space.

2. The clean room air purification system according to claim 1 .

4. The second air supply unit is A circulation duct is installed next to the incubator installed in the target space and extends in a vertical direction; A suction port provided at a lower portion of the circulation duct; an air outlet provided at an upper portion of the circulation duct for supplying air toward an entrance of the incubator or a space in front of the entrance; 2. The air purification system for a clean room according to claim 1, comprising:

5. The second air supply unit is a circulation duct that connects an intake port that draws in air in the target space and an outlet port that supplies air toward an entrance / exit of an incubator installed in the target space or a space in front of the entrance / exit of the incubator; An air conditioner installed in the circulation duct; 2. The air purification system for a clean room according to claim 1, further comprising:

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