Temperature adjustment device, static rectifier for temperature adjustment device and method of improving efficiency of temperature adjustment device

Abstract

To provide a temperature adjustment device, a static rectifier and a method of improving the cooling efficiency of a temperature adjustment device that can solve electrical issues of a medium and can achieve higher cooling efficiency.SOLUTION: A temperature adjustment device of the present invention comprises: a medium pipe which is formed of a material having electrical conductivity and accommodates and circulates a medium therein; a housing for accommodating the medium pipe; and a static rectifier which is electrically connected to the medium pipe, and supplies pulsed signals which are repeated at a frequency of 100 kHz or higher and 1.5 MHs or lower. A method of improving the cooling efficiency of a temperature adjustment device according an aspect is a method of improving the cooling efficiency of said temperature adjustment device and supplies pulsed attenuation signals which are repeated at a frequency of 100 kHz or higher and 1.5 MHz or lower to the medium pipe via the static rectifier for the temperature adjustment 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.

[0005] In relation to the above, the present inventors have also filed a patent application relating to a temperature adjustment device equipped with an electrostatic rectifier that supplies a pulse-like signal that is repeated at a frequency of 20 kHz or more and 60 kHz or less, the contents of which are published as Patent Document 2 below. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-121927 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6906213 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The refrigerants disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the like are capable of satisfying the required performance as a refrigerant, but there remain issues with the amount of power used, that is, the cooling efficiency of the refrigerant.

[0008] 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.

[0009] 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.

[0010] Although this problem is described with respect to a refrigerant, it can be applied 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).

[0011] On the other hand, although the technology described in Patent Document 2 helps to solve the above problems, there still remains a problem in terms of high heat transfer efficiency.

[0012] 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 the efficiency of a temperature control device that can solve the electrical problems of the medium and achieve higher heat transfer efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] That is, a temperature control device according to one aspect of the present invention that solves the above problems is a temperature control device that includes a medium pipe formed of a conductive material that stores and circulates a medium, and a housing that stores the medium pipe, and also includes an electrostatic rectifier that is electrically connected to the medium pipe and supplies a pulse-like signal that is repeated at a frequency of 100 kHz to 1.5 MHz. In this aspect, although not limited thereto, it is more preferable that the frequency is 200 kHz to 1 MHz.

[0014] In addition, in this respect, the medium is preferably a polar medium.

[0015] In addition, in this aspect, it is preferable that the housing and the medium pipe are electrically insulated or connected via a resistor.

[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] In addition, an electrostatic rectifier for a temperature control device according to another aspect of the present invention supplies a pulse-like signal that is repeated at a frequency of 100 kHz to 1.5 MHz, and more preferably, but not limited to, 200 kHz to 1 MHz.

[0018] In addition, in this aspect, the pulsed signal is an attenuated wave, and the period of the attenuated wave is preferably 2 MHz or more and 150 MHz or less, and more preferably 10 MHz or less.

[0019] In addition, in this aspect, it is preferable to include an AD converter covered with a shielding material and converting AC current into a first DC power source, a DD converter converting the first DC voltage generated by the AD converter into a second DC voltage, a high-frequency detection member disposed around the DD converter and detecting high frequency waves, and a conductive member connecting the high-frequency detection member and the shielding material.

[0020] 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 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, in which the temperature control device includes an electrostatic rectifier connected to the medium pipe, and the electrostatic rectifier supplies a pulse-like signal that is repeated at a frequency of 100 kHz or more and 1.5 MHz or less to the medium pipe. In this aspect, the frequency is preferably 200 kHz or more and 1 MHz or less, although this is not limited thereto.

[0021] Also, in this aspect, the pulse-like signal is an attenuated wave, and it is preferable that an attenuated wave signal having a period of 2 MHz to 150 MHz, more preferably 10 MHz or less, is supplied to the medium tube. Effect of the Invention

[0022] 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]

[0023] [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] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a waveform of a pulsed attenuating wave signal generated by an electrostatic rectifier of a temperature adjustment device according to an embodiment. 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

[0024] 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.

[0025] (cooling device) 1 is a functional block diagram of a temperature control device (hereinafter referred to as "the device") 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the device 1 is a temperature control device formed of a conductive material, and including 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 including an electrostatic rectifier 4 connected to the medium pipe 2.

[0026] This 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 device will be described as a cooling device. In other words, this 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.

[0027] When the present device 1 is a cooling device, various forms can be adopted as the product, for example, a refrigerator, a freezer, an air conditioner (air conditioner, cooler, air conditioning for clean rooms in semiconductor manufacturing equipment processes, etc.), a chiller, a heat pump, etc. can be exemplified. However, for the sake of simplicity, the present embodiment will be described using a specific example of a refrigerator. Note that a cooling device is a device that generally performs cooling by utilizing a refrigeration cycle of compression, condensation-liquefaction, expansion-vaporization, and compression of a refrigerant.

[0028] As shown in the figure, the 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 device also comprises a heat-retaining chamber 5 for housing an object (target object) to be cooled or heated as a temperature control device. 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.

[0029] In addition, in this 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 6, the radiator 7 releases heat from the medium to the outside, and the cooler 8 absorbs surrounding heat (specifically, the 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.

[0030] In addition, in the present device 1, the medium is not limited, but is preferably a polar medium from the viewpoint of being able to significantly express the effect of the present 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 2, 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 device and the 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] In addition, in the present 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.

[0033] In the present 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.

[0034] In addition, in the present device 1, the housing 3 and the medium pipe 2 are electrically insulated as described above. Specifically, the medium pipe 2 means that the circulation path is not grounded. In a general temperature control device, if the pipe is not grounded, there is a high possibility that the pipe 2 will be charged, and in order to avoid malfunctions due to charging, the cooling pipe 2 itself is grounded or the housing 3 that houses the pipe is electrically connected to the ground. However, in the present device 1, the pipe 2 is kept electrically insulated from the housing 3 and not grounded because of the need to control the charged state using the electrostatic rectifier 4 described later. Incidentally, the medium pipe 2 needs to be physically in contact with 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 the pipes are not completely electrically insulated, they can be electrically connected via a resistor as long as the signal from the electrostatic rectifier 4 can be sufficiently transmitted.

[0035] Moreover, the electrostatic rectifier 4 in the present device 1 supplies a pulsed signal. Although there are repetitive parts, what the electrostatic rectifier 4 in the present 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 device 1, it is preferable that the pulsed signal is a decaying wave signal in order to achieve more efficient heat transfer efficiency. Here, the "decaying wave signal" means a periodically repeated signal whose amplitude decreases over time, but may include pulses and harmonics superimposed thereon. An example of a pulsed decaying wave signal generated by the electrostatic rectifier 4 is shown in FIG. 4.

[0036] In addition, in the present device 1, the electrostatic rectifier 4 preferably supplies a pulsed decay wave signal that is repeated at a frequency of 100 kHz or more and 1.5 MHz or less, more preferably 1 MHz or less, even more preferably 600 kHz or less, 500 kHz or less, and particularly preferably 300 kHz or less. This frequency is the so-called pulse frequency. In terms of repetition time, a pulsed decay wave signal is supplied at intervals of 0.67 μs or more and 10 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 are 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 decaying wave. Note that the term "positive electron" here refers to electrons used to neutralize polarity.

[0037] In addition, in the case of an attenuating wave in the present device 1, the period of the signal in one attenuating wave signal is preferably 2 MHz or more and 150 MHz or less, more preferably 10 MHz, and even more preferably 5 MHz or less. This frequency means the period in one attenuating wave signal, and in terms of the time interval, it is 6.7 ns or more and 0.5 μs or less, preferably 0.1 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.

[0038] Furthermore, the electrostatic rectifier 4 of the present 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 this attenuated wave signal to the medium via the medium tube 2 by electrically contacting the medium tube 2. 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, for example, a circuit as shown in Fig. 5. Note that, although the circuit shown in this figure shows an example in which an amplifier is provided, if the output is sufficient, it is also possible to use a circuit without an amplifier.

[0039] As shown in the figure, the electrostatic rectifier 4 is connected to an external AC power supply and is configured to have at least an AD converter 41 that converts this AC power supply 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. This makes it possible to receive power from the power supply and supply the above-mentioned signal to the cooling tube from the output terminal 44. Also, a capacitor and resistor for adjusting the voltage, etc., can be placed between these components as needed.

[0040] In addition, in this 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 44 of the electrostatic rectifier 4 with the medium tube 2. In this case, the position at which the output end 44 is contacted may be any position within the circulation path of the conductive medium tube 2, but in consideration of the efficiency of the charge supply, it is preferable to be closer to a portion in a liquid state than a portion in a gaseous state, and more preferably to be a portion in a cooled state. In other words, it is preferable to place it between the compressor 6 and the radiator 7.

[0041] Incidentally, one of the features of this 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 housing 3 and medium tube 2 of a temperature control device such as a commonly sold refrigerator, the electrostatic rectifier 4 may be attached and the above signal may be supplied. This allows for easy improvement.

[0042] (method) From the above description, the method for improving the cooling efficiency of a temperature control device using the present device 1 (hereinafter referred to as "the present method") is clear, but for confirmation, the present method will be described. As is clear from the above description, the present 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 100 kHz to 1.5 MHz, and has a period within the attenuating wave of 2 MHz to 150 MHz. The effects of these are as described above.

[0043] As described above, the device 1 and the method can solve the electrical problems of the medium and achieve higher heat transfer efficiency.

[0044] (Other forms) Although the present device 1 has been described using an example of a refrigerator, it is not limited to this as long as it has an electrostatic rectifier 4 and a cooling pipe that forms a circulation path for circulating a medium, and it can also be applied to a cooling system that uses, for example, a so-called cooling tower. A schematic diagram of this case is shown in Figure 6.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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

[0047] Here, the above-mentioned temperature control device was actually prototyped and its effects were confirmed as follows.

[0048] 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).

[0049] 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).

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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, while the temperature decreased by about 6 degrees when connected to the electrostatic rectifier. In other words, this embodiment allowed us to confirm the effectiveness of this device, the electrostatic rectifier. [Industrial Applicability]

[0052] 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]

[0053] 1...Temperature control device 2...media tube 3. Housing 4. Electrostatic rectifier 41 AD converter

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 signal having a frequency of 100 kHz or more and 1.5 MHz 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 or more and 150 MHz or less.

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 100 kHz to 1.5 MHz.

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 from 2 MHz to 150 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 100 kHz or more and 1.5 MHz 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 150 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.

11. an AD converter covered with a shielding material and configured to convert an AC current into a first DC power source; a DD converter that converts the first DC voltage generated by the AD converter into a second DC voltage; a high frequency detection member disposed around the DD converter and detecting a high frequency; 7. The electrostatic rectifier for a temperature control device according to claim 6, further comprising a conductive member connecting said high frequency detection member and said shielding material.

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