Fluid sterilizing device

Abstract

To provide a sterilizing device which can sufficiently exhibit inactivation effects to highly-infectious viruses which are contained in fluid and flows in a tube, and can exhibit effects for sterilizing all general bacteria.SOLUTION: A fluid sterilizing device has such a structure that a box-shaped body case 1, a sterilizing space 2 in the body case, a mirror plate 3 mounted on an inner wall of the sterilizing space, an inflow side connection part 4, an outflow side connection part 5 are connected to each other by flange connection parts 6 and 7. A blade driving part 8 is mounted between the inflow side connection part 4 and the body case 1, a high-performance filter 9 in an attitude perpendicular to a flow channel is mounted between the outflow side connection part in the body case, and a flow straightening member 10 is mounted on the downstream side of the blade driving part 8. A deep ultraviolet LED 11 is mounted on the inclined surface outside the body case 1 so as to be capable of being emitted from the window of an opening to inside.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention is a fluid sterilization device that can inactivate viruses, sterilize general bacteria, and capture fine foreign substances contained in a fluid such as air or water flowing through pipes installed in manufacturing factories, various facilities, offices, and ordinary houses. As for how to use this device, when the target fluid is air, by connecting this fluid sterilization device in the middle of the ceiling pipe that takes in outdoor air of a building into the room, virus inactivation, sterilization, and dust removal can be effectively carried out in the device, and clean and safe air can be taken into the room. Also, when the target fluid is water, by incorporating this fluid sterilization device in the middle of the water supply pipe for the water flowing through the pipe, the water flowing through the pipe can be sterilized and dust removed, and clean water can be supplied. Generally, there are devices such as ventilation fans that have the function of exhausting indoor air to the outside and the function of supplying outdoor air to the inside. When taking in outdoor air into the room, it is common to directly take in air that may contain viruses, bacteria, pollen, PM2.5, etc. However, it may also cause harm to health due to virus infection or various bacteria and pollen. In addition, there are many places that require ventilation by clean air supply and exhaust, such as large facilities where many people gather, food factories, medical and nursing facilities, precision equipment factories, various research institutes, general offices, and rooms in homes. Also, when the target fluid is water, when water is supplied from a water purification plant or a storage tank in a factory, in addition to chemical sterilization with chlorine agents, etc., physical sterilization and removal of minute foreign substances are important management items.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, sterilization and dust removal in the middle of a pipe for air or water flowing through the pipe have not been carried out very often. Also, until now, there have not been many air supply devices for indoor use with additional functions. Since the global spread of the novel coronavirus several years ago, the lifestyle of people around the world has changed, and people have developed the habit of being more careful about preventing infections. In addition to the novel coronavirus, the spread of influenza virus and various other viruses is also a concern for the future. The present invention focuses on measures for supplying air to this indoor space when the object is air. Also, even when the fluid object is water, ensuring safe water is one of the important infrastructure elements in general drinking water, food and beverage factories, etc.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the fluid sterilization device 1 includes a cylinder 5 having a flow path through which the fluid to be sterilized flows in the axial direction, a light source 3 having ultraviolet LEDs that emit ultraviolet light to the fluid, and a rectifying section 8 provided on the side of the inlet 5a where the fluid flows into the inside of the cylinder 5 to rectify the fluid. The rectifying section 8 is composed of a plurality of rectifying plates 8A and 8B that are arranged at intervals in the axial direction and each have a plurality of holes through which the fluid passes. Further, the rectifying section is composed of a first rectifying plate provided at least at the position closest to the inlet and a second rectifying plate provided on the downstream side of the flow path from the first rectifying plate, and the size of each hole of the second rectifying plate is less than or equal to the size of each hole of the first rectifying plate. There is a fluid sterilization device characterized by this. In this cited Patent Document 1, the configuration of the rectifying plate is the main claim. However, as a problem of this cited Patent Document 1, when the pressure of the fluid is high and the flow rate is fast, since the sterilization effect is determined by the integration of the light emission output in which the LED irradiates only the fluid in the front against the flow of the fluid, there is a problem that the effect cannot be sufficiently exhibited. Also, it is known that the flow rate is the slowest near the inner wall of the tube and the fastest at the center of the tube when the fluid flows through the tube, in a parabolic shape. The fluid immediately after passing through the first and second rectifying plates provided immediately after the inlet is rectified, but in the vicinity of the irradiation position of the LED light source away from the rectifying plate, especially when changing the outflow direction at a right angle, the laminar flow state is disturbed and the flow rate does not become uniform, and there is also a problem that the difference in sterilization performance due to the difference in the flow rate in the tube becomes large. Further, since the LED irradiation is performed only on the bacteria that may be floating in the fluid, there is no guarantee that sterilization can be achieved with a high probability. That is, in the case of this Patent Document 1, since there is no function of collecting viruses, bacteria, foreign substances, etc. that may be contained in the fluid, the LED irradiation cannot inactivate and sterilize when attached to the surface and in a stationary state, and there is a limit to its sterilization performance. Further, in Patent Document 2, in order to provide a fluid sterilization device with enhanced purification ability, the fluid sterilization device 10 includes a housing 12 that defines a flow path 13 extending in the longitudinal direction, a filter 40 provided in the housing 12 and extending in the longitudinal direction, and a light source 50 that has a light emitting element 52 that emits ultraviolet light and irradiates the ultraviolet light toward the fluid flowing in a laminar state after passing through the filter 40. The filter 40 may be a hollow fiber membrane filter. It is also stated that the light source 50 may be provided to irradiate ultraviolet light in the longitudinal direction. In the case of the above Patent Document 2, after passing through a filter extending in the longitudinal direction inside the pipe, the configuration is such that a light emitting element that emits ultraviolet light parallel to the flow irradiates the fluid flowing in the flow path. Therefore, there is a problem that there is no rectifying function for the fluid, the flow velocity cannot be equalized according to the cross-sectional position inside the pipe, and the sterilization performance is poor. Further, there is a problem that only the fluid itself is irradiated, and the bacteria collected on the surface of the filter are not irradiated by the light emitting element that emits ultraviolet light, and the sterilization effect is limited.

[0005] The object of the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it solves each problem of the prior art documents. That is, for a highly infectious virus contained in a fluid and flowing through a pipe, the inactivation effect can be sufficiently exerted, and for general bacteria, a sterilization device that can exert a sterilization effect on all bacteria can be provided. The deep ultraviolet LED used in the present invention has a wavelength of 220 to 300 nm, and the inactivation and sterilization effects on the novel coronavirus and all general bacteria have been demonstrated to have a sterilization effect of 99% under specific conditions by university research institutions and companies, etc., and have been published in papers and the like. The demonstration of the inactivation and sterilization of these viruses, at the same time as the effect on the aerosol floating in the air, has also been demonstrated for the object on which the virus or bacteria adheres, in terms of its inactivation and sterilization effects. The user of the fluid sterilization device of the present invention can provide a sterilization device with new sterilization and dust removal functions by additionally connecting this fluid sterilization device in the middle of the piping path of the fluid flowing through the pipe. For example, when supplying outdoor air into the room through the piping in the ceiling, sterilization and dust removal are performed inside this fluid sterilization device connected in the middle of the piping. Also in the case of water, if this fluid sterilization device is additionally connected in the middle of the pipe that supplies water from the water storage tank and is piped to a predetermined location, clean and safe water with fine foreign substances removed after sterilization can be supplied to the target location. Furthermore, the fluid sterilization device of the present invention can also function as a so-called air purifier for indoor air, for example, by exhausting indoor air once through the duct piping in the ceiling, connecting it to this fluid sterilization device, and then supplying clean air that has been sterilized and dust-removed back into the room. Also, as described above, the fluid sterilization device of the present invention can be easily used for multiple purposes in many industries and locations depending on its combination.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] When the fluid to be treated by the fluid sterilization device of the present invention is air, it can be used as a device that can perform sterilization and dust removal functions while ventilating in large facility rooms, food factories, precision equipment factories, medical and nursing institutions, livestock houses such as chicken farms, general offices, indoor areas in homes, etc. Also, when the fluid to be treated is water, in the case of supplying water to a food factory, in a water purification plant, or using water in a medical and nursing facility, etc., by additionally connecting this fluid sterilization device in the middle of the pipeline, the sterilization and dust collection functions can be easily exerted. The fluid sterilization device of the present invention can be effectively used as a means for solving problems that require reliable inactivation, sterilization, and dust removal measures against highly infectious viruses and general bacteria. An embodiment of the fluid sterilization device of the present invention will be described. The fluid sterilization device of the present invention has a box-shaped body case 1 with a hollow part inside and openings on the inflow side and the outflow side that allow fluid to flow through, a sterilization space 2 inside it, a mirror plate 3 attached to the inner wall surface of the sterilization space, an inflow side connection part 4, and an outflow side connection part 5, which are connected by flange connection parts 6 and 7. An impeller drive part 8 is inside between the inflow side connection part 4 and the body case 1. Also, a high-performance filter 9 is in a posture perpendicular to the flow path between the outflow side connection parts inside the body case, and a rectifying member 10 is fixed to the body case 1 on the downstream side of the impeller drive part 8, and they are respectively attached. Further, deep ultraviolet LEDs 11 are attached to the inclined surface outside the body case 1 so that they can irradiate inward from the window of the opening. Although not shown in the figure, an electric control part 12 that controls the impeller drive part and the deep ultraviolet LEDs is also included in the configuration. The size of the highly infectious novel coronavirus is 0.1 μm, but it is said to be around 0.5 μm when floating in the air as an airborne droplet. The HEPA filter of the high-performance filter 9 can capture objects as small as 0.3 μm. When the coronavirus is floating in the fluid in the sterilization space 2 and is captured on the surface of the high-performance filter 9, inactivation of various viruses and sterilization against general bacteria are performed by the irradiation of the deep ultraviolet LEDs 11.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, for example, in the case of the target fluid being air, the air that has passed through the inside of the pipe from the inflow-side connection portion 4 is made to flow with the difference in the flow velocity of the pipe cross-section equalized by the flow rectifying member 10 attached in the sterilization space 2 within the main body case 1 by the rotation of the blade drive 8. In the middle of this flow, the irradiated light of the deep ultraviolet LED 11 is enhanced by the reflection effect of the mirror plate 3, and the air in the sterilization space is sterilized. Further, the air advances to the high-performance filter 9, where viruses, bacteria, and minute foreign substances are collected on the filter surface, and the viruses and bacteria collected on this surface are inactivated and sterilized by the irradiation of the deep ultraviolet LED 11. The air that has passed through the high-performance filter 9 and has been purified is supplied to the target location through the pipe from the downstream outflow-side connection portion 5. Even when the target fluid is water, through the same steps as in the case of air above, the inactivation and sterilization of viruses and bacteria contained in the water, and the dust removal of minute foreign substances contained in the water are performed. By the operation of the above fluid, the sterilization of the fluid by the deep ultraviolet LED can be expected to have a dual effect of inactivating and sterilizing viruses and bacteria in the fluid floating in the sterilization space, and at the same time, sterilizing the viruses and bacteria collected on the surface of the high-performance filter, and its sterilization performance is greatly improved. Also, within the main body case having a cross-section larger than the cross-sectional areas of the inflow-side connection portion and the outflow-side connection portion, the velocity of the fluid becomes low in inverse proportion to the cross-sectional area, and the effect of sterilization by the deep ultraviolet LED is improved. Further, the flow velocity within the cross-section in the sterilization space is equalized by the flow rectifying member attached immediately after the blade drive portion within the main body case, and the difference in the sterilization effect due to the position of the passing cross-section can be equalized.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The fluid sterilization device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 below. In all the drawings below, for ease of understanding, the dimensions, ratios, etc. of each component are illustrated with appropriate differences as required.

Example

[0010] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, in this embodiment of the fluid sterilization device of the present invention, for example, in the case of target fluid being air, the air that has passed through the pipe from the inflow side connection part 4 is equalized in the difference in flow velocity on the cross-section of the pipe by the flow rectifying member 10 installed in the sterilization space 2 in the main body case 1 due to the rotation of the blade driving part 8 and flows. During the flow, it is sterilized by the irradiation of the deep ultraviolet LED 11, and further the air advances to the high-performance filter 9 to collect viruses, bacteria, and minute foreign matters on the filter surface, and the viruses and bacteria collected on this surface are inactivated and sterilized by irradiating the deep ultraviolet LED 11. The air purified by passing through the high-performance filter 9 is sent to the target location through the pipe from the downstream outflow side connection part 5. Also, in the case where the target fluid is water, through the same steps as in the case of the above-mentioned air, inactivation and sterilization of the viruses and bacteria contained in the water, and dust removal of the minute foreign matters contained in the water are performed. In the figure showing an application example of the fluid sterilization device according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4, normal air is taken in from the outside, the attic is connected by a pipe, the fluid sterilization device of the present invention is connected, and in this device, inactivation and sterilization are performed on viruses and bacteria, and pollen, PM2.5, etc. contained in the air are removed from dust, and the purified air can be supplied indoors through the pipe.

Industrial Applicability

[0011] In the industrial field, when the fluid target is air, the present invention is installed in the ceiling of large indoor facilities where a large number of people gather, food companies, medical and welfare facilities, research institutions, precision instrument factories, chicken coops in the poultry industry, general offices, rooms in homes, etc. This fluid sterilization device is connected to the piping path that takes in outdoor air and supplies it indoors, enabling the supply of purified air indoors through the functions of inactivating and sterilizing viruses in the air and collecting dust such as fine dust and pollen. When the fluid target is water, the present fluid sterilization device is connected to the piping of the water supply path in facilities that require purified water, such as water purification facilities, food and beverage factories, and medical and nursing care facilities. Description of symbols: main body case 1, sterilization space 2, mirror plate 3, inlet side connection part 4, outlet side connection part 5, flange connection parts 6, 7, blade drive part 8, high-performance filter 9, flow rectifying member 10, deep ultraviolet LED 11, electric control part 12 (not shown)

[0012]

Claims

1. In a device composed of a main body case having a hollow portion inside in a box shape and having openings through which the inflow side and the outflow side can each flow, an inflow side pipe connection portion, and an outflow side pipe connection portion, an impeller-driven body is provided inside between the main body case and the inflow side pipe connection portion, a high-performance filter having a posture orthogonal to the flow path is provided inside between the main body case and the outflow side pipe connection portion, an LED as a sterilization means that emits light toward the internal space of the main body case and the inflow surface of the high-performance filter, a mirror plate attached to the wall surface of the entire inner circumference of the main body case, and a rectifying member for equalizing the flow velocity is provided on the downstream side of the impeller-driven body in the box-shaped main body case. A fluid sterilization device characterized by comprising

2. The fluid sterilization device according to claim 1, wherein the LED of the sterilization means irradiated toward the hollow portion inside the main body case and the inflow side of the high-performance filter is a deep ultraviolet LED that emits light in the wavelength range of 220 to 300 nm.

3. The fluid sterilization device according to claim 1 and claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional area of the internal space of the main body case is larger than the cross-sectional areas of the inflow side pipe connection portion and the outflow side pipe connection portion.

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