Desiccant air conditioning device and indirect evaporative cooler used for the same

Abstract

To provide means for securing a supply air temperature suitable for general use such as indoor cooling and securing a required supply air flow rate without increasing in a size of a component apparatus on an extremely hot day in Japan.SOLUTION: A desiccant air conditioning device 100 includes a dehumidification rotor 10, a first indirect evaporative cooler 20, a second indirect evaporative cooler 24, a branch flow passage 26 and a humidification air circulation flow passage 40. The first indirect evaporative cooler 20 indirectly cools dehumidification air 1c dehumidified by the dehumidification rotor 10 by using outside air 3a and water spray 4a. In the branch flow passage 26, part of cooling air 1d cooled by the first indirect evaporative cooler 20 is supplied to a wet flow passage of the second indirect evaporative cooler 24. The second indirect evaporative cooler 24 indirectly cools remaining part of the cooling air 1d by using the part of the cooling air 1d cooled by the first indirect evaporative cooler 20 and the water spray 4b. In the humidification air circulation flow passage 40, humidification air 1f (including part of the cooling air 1d and steam) flowing out from the second indirect evaporative cooler 24 is supplied to an outside air inflow side of an outside air introduction blower 8a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a desiccant air conditioner and method for dehumidifying, cooling and supplying outside air with low energy while ventilating, and an indirect evaporative cooler used therefor.

Background Art

[0002] A desiccant air conditioning system is a device that dehumidifies outside air with a dehumidifying rotor, cools the dehumidified outside air with an indirect evaporative cooler, and supplies it indoors. Such a desiccant air conditioning system can dehumidify, cool and supply outside air with low energy while ventilating, as compared with an air conditioner of the subcooling dehumidification and reheating method. The dehumidifying rotor is a rotating disk-shaped rotor incorporating a dehumidifying material. A part of it dehumidifies by passing outside air through, and the other part regenerates the dehumidifying material that has absorbed moisture by passing heated air through. The indirect evaporative cooler is an indirect heat exchanger in which a dry flow path and a wet flow path are separated by a partition wall. Supply air is passed through the dry flow path, and water is sprayed into the wet flow path to cool the supply air while maintaining the absolute humidity of the dry flow path by the latent heat of evaporation of water.

[0003] The above-described desiccant air conditioning system, dehumidifying rotor, and indirect evaporative cooler are disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1-3.

[0004] The "desiccant air conditioner equipped with a multi-stage indirect heat exchanger" of Patent Document 1 supplies the outside air dehumidified by the dehumidifying rotor indoors. Further, a sensible heat rotor or a cross-flow heat exchanger having a function of making the outside air at an appropriate temperature and low humidity is interposed on the supply air side, and the outside air that has passed through this introduction passage is supplied to the indoor side via the multi-stage indirect heat exchanger.

[0005] The "dehumidifying material, dehumidifying rotor, and desiccant air conditioner" of Patent Document 2 has a dehumidifying rotor having, for example, a support made of paper or fiber processed into a corrugated shape, and has a structure in which a large number of fine through holes are provided in the thickness direction. The support is impregnated with a dehumidifying material containing, for example, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid).

[0006] In the "novel indirect evaporative cooler" of Patent Document 3, the evaporation phenomenon of water is caused by dry air in the wet channel to cause cooling. The air in the dry channel receives this heat and its temperature drops. The air that has passed through the wet channel is humidified and cooled air and is discharged outside the device. On the other hand, since the air that has passed through the dry channel has become cooled air, this is utilized.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] Ventilation is obligatory for air conditioning under the Building Standards Law. However, conventional widely used air conditioners take in indoor air for cooling and dehumidification and cannot perform ventilation treatment. In addition, conventional air conditioners use fluorocarbon-based refrigerants and their global warming potential is not zero.

[0009] On the other hand, conventional indirect evaporative coolers have a theoretical limit value of the cooling temperature (the wet bulb temperature of the air in the wet flow path), and when using the atmosphere for the cooling side air, the actual supply air temperature remains at about 26 to 27°C. Here, the "cooling side air" means the air flowing through the wet flow path of the indirect evaporative cooler. Also, the "theoretical limit value of the cooling temperature" is the temperature (wet bulb temperature) when water evaporates and the relative humidity of the cooling side air reaches 100%.

[0010] In addition, Patent Document 3 has the following description. "In Fig. 5, the flow of air cooling is described. Consider the case where the air entering the vaporizer has a temperature of 30°C and an absolute humidity of 10 g / Kg. If this air is humidified and cooled, the temperature will drop to 20°C, which is the wet-bulb temperature of the air. Therefore, the air can be changed to air with a temperature of 20°C and an absolute humidity of 10 g / Kg without being humidified. This air is then cooled to 16°C only by heat exchange with the wet channel again. By repeating this process, theoretically, the humidity can remain unchanged and only the temperature can be cooled to 14°C." However, in this case, there is a problem that the supply air volume supplied to the room decreases sharply because most of the air cooled in the dry channel is supplied to the wet channel. In addition, it is necessary to repeatedly return the cooled air to the wet channel on the upstream side, and a plurality of blowers for air circulation are required.

[0011] Therefore, compared with the air conditioner of the subcooling dehumidification and reheating method, the conventional desiccant air conditioning system is excellent in dehumidification but insufficient as a refrigerator, and its use is limited to special applications such as preventing condensation of products for super, preventing mold growth, and cooling of data centers. Therefore, for general purposes such as indoor cooling, a desiccant air conditioning system with a supply air temperature (average about 20°C, intermittent supply air between about 18 and 22°C in actual operation) like a heat pump air conditioner (air conditioner of the subcooling dehumidification and reheating method) has been demanded. Especially in view of the recent increase in temperature, there is a demand for a desiccant air conditioning system that can ensure a supply air temperature of about 20°C even on extremely hot days (outdoor air temperature of 36°C or higher, absolute humidity of about 17 g / kg (DA)) in Tokyo in the summer of 2023.

[0012] The present invention was created to meet such demands. That is, the object of the present invention is to provide a desiccant air conditioning apparatus and method and an indirect vaporization cooler used therefor that can ensure a supply air temperature suitable for general purposes such as indoor cooling while ventilating on extremely hot days in Japan, and can ensure the required supply air flow rate without increasing the size of the constituent devices.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0013] According to the present invention, an outside air introduction blower for pressurizing and introducing outside air, a dehumidification rotor having a dehumidification chamber for dehumidifying moisture in the introduced air with a dehumidifying material and a regeneration chamber for regenerating the dehumidifying material that has absorbed moisture, a first indirect evaporative cooler for indirectly cooling the dehumidified air dehumidified by the dehumidification rotor with outside air and sprinkling water, a second indirect evaporative cooler for indirectly cooling a part of the cooled air cooled by the first indirect evaporative cooler and the remaining part of the cooled air with sprinkling water, and a humidified air circulation passage for supplying the part of the cooled air that has exited the second indirect evaporative cooler and humidified air containing water vapor to the outside air inflow side of the outside air introduction blower, a desiccant air conditioner is provided.

[0014] Also according to the present invention, an outside air introduction step of pressurizing and introducing outside air, a dehumidification step of dehumidifying moisture in the introduced air with a dehumidifying material, a first indirect evaporative cooling step of indirectly cooling the dehumidified air dehumidified in the dehumidification step with outside air and sprinkling water, a second indirect evaporative cooling step of indirectly cooling a part of the cooled air cooled in the first indirect evaporative cooling step and the remaining part of the cooled air with sprinkling water, and a humidified air circulation step of mixing the humidified air generated in the second indirect evaporative cooling step into the outside air in the outside air introduction step, a desiccant air conditioning method is provided.

[0015] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a first indirect evaporative cooler and a second indirect evaporative cooler which are indirect heat exchangers in which a dry flow path and a wet flow path are separated by a partition wall, and the air in the dry flow path is cooled while maintaining the absolute humidity of the dry flow path with the latent heat of evaporation of water by sprinkling water into the wet flow path, and an internal branch flow path for supplying a part of the cooled air cooled by the first indirect evaporative cooler to the wet flow path of the second indirect evaporative cooler, and an indirect evaporative cooler in which the first indirect evaporative cooler, the second indirect evaporative cooler, and the internal branch flow path are integrated is provided.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] Since the desiccant air conditioner of the present invention includes a dehumidifying rotor, a first indirect evaporative cooler, and a second indirect evaporative cooler, the dehumidifying rotor can dehumidify the outside air, and the outside air dehumidified by the first indirect evaporative cooler and the second indirect evaporative cooler can be cooled in two stages. As a result, compared with an air conditioner using the overcooling dehumidification and reheating method, it is possible to dehumidify, cool, and supply the outside air with low energy while performing ventilation.

[0017] In addition, the second indirect evaporative cooler indirectly cools a part of the cooled air cooled by the first indirect evaporative cooler and the remaining part of the cooled air by water spraying. Therefore, the inflowing air (cooled air) in the wet flow path of the second indirect evaporative cooler is lower in temperature and lower in absolute humidity than the outside air. Therefore, since the wet-bulb temperature of the air in the wet flow path of the second indirect evaporative cooler is significantly lower than that of the outside air, the air in the dry flow path of the second indirect evaporative cooler can be further cooled, and the supply air temperature can be significantly reduced compared with the conventional case.

[0018] In addition, since the humidified air circulation flow path supplies the humidified air (including a part of the cooled air and water vapor) that has exited the second indirect evaporative cooler to the outside air inflow side of the outside air introduction blower, humidified air corresponding to the amount of air supplied to the wet flow path of the second indirect evaporative cooler is mixed into the outside air. As a result, the amount of air cooled by the second indirect evaporative cooler can be maintained the same as the amount of outside air introduced. In addition, the humidified air that has exited the wet flow path of the second indirect evaporative cooler has the same absolute humidity as the outside air before dehumidification and is lower in temperature than the outside air. Therefore, the load on the dehumidifying rotor can be maintained with substantially little increase in its performance.

[0019] The effect of the desiccant air conditioning method of the present invention is the same.

[0020] In addition, since the indirect evaporative cooler of the present invention has a first indirect evaporative cooler, a second indirect evaporative cooler, and an internal branch flow path, a part of the cooled air cooled by the first indirect evaporative cooler can be supplied to the wet flow path of the second indirect evaporative cooler through the internal branch flow path. Therefore, since the wet-bulb temperature of the wet-channel air in the second indirect evaporative cooler is significantly lower than the outside air, the air in the dry channel of the second indirect evaporative cooler can be further cooled, and the supply air temperature can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional case. In addition, since the first indirect evaporative cooler, the second indirect evaporative cooler, and the internal branch channel of the indirect evaporative cooler are integrated, the installation and handling of the device are facilitated.

[0021] Note that according to the present invention described above, it was confirmed in the following examples that on a sweltering day in Japan (for example, an outside air temperature of 36°C and an absolute humidity of about 17 g / kg), a supply air temperature of about 20°C can be ensured, and the required supply air flow rate can be ensured without increasing the size of the constituent devices.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to common parts, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0024] FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a desiccant air conditioner according to the present invention. In this figure, the desiccant air conditioner 100 includes an outside air introduction blower 8a, a dehumidification rotor 10, a first indirect evaporative cooler 20, a second indirect evaporative cooler 24, and a humidified air circulation channel 40.

[0025] The outside air introduction blower 8a pressurizes and introduces the outside air 1a. As will be described later, since the humidified air 1f that has exited the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 is supplied to the outside air inflow side of the outside air introduction blower 8a by the humidified air circulation passage 40, the outside air introduction blower 8a pressurizes the mixed air 1b of the outside air 1a and the humidified air 1f and supplies it to the dehumidifying rotor 10.

[0026] The dehumidifying rotor 10 has a dehumidifying chamber 10a that dehumidifies the moisture in the air introduced by the outside air introduction blower 8a with a dehumidifying material, and a regeneration chamber 10b that regenerates the dehumidifying material that has absorbed moisture. The dehumidifying rotor 10 is a rotating disk-shaped rotor incorporating a dehumidifying material. The dehumidifying chamber 10a and the regeneration chamber 10b are partitioned in the circumferential direction of the disk-shaped rotor. As the dehumidifying rotor 10 rotates, each part thereof is alternately positioned in the dehumidifying chamber 10a and the regeneration chamber 10b. In the dehumidifying chamber 10a, the inflowing air (mixed air 1b) is dehumidified by the dehumidifying material, and in the regeneration chamber 10b, the dehumidifying material that has absorbed moisture is regenerated by passing heated air through it.

[0027] In FIG. 1, the desiccant air conditioner 100 further includes an air heater 50. The air heater 50 is, for example, an electric heater, and heats the air (outside air 2a in this example) supplied by the outside air introduction blower 8b and supplies the heated air 2b to the regeneration chamber 10b of the dehumidifying rotor 10. Note that the heated air 2b supplied to the regeneration chamber 10b is not limited to the heated outside air, and may be other high-temperature gases having a desired temperature (for example, 60 to 90°C). Therefore, the air heater 50 is not limited to an electric heater, and may be a heater that utilizes sunlight, combustion gas, exhaust gas, etc.

[0028] The first indirect vaporization cooler 20 in FIG. 1 indirectly cools the dehumidified air 1c dehumidified by the dehumidifying rotor 10 with the outside air 3a and the water spray 4a. The second indirect vaporization cooler 24 indirectly cools a part of the cooled air 1d cooled by the first indirect vaporization cooler 20 and the remaining part of the cooled air 1d with the water spray 4b. The first indirect evaporative cooler 20 and the second indirect evaporative cooler 24 are indirect heat exchangers in which a dry flow path 6a and a wet flow path 6b are separated by a partition wall 7a, and water is sprayed into the wet flow path 6b to cool the air in the dry flow path 6a while maintaining the absolute humidity of the dry flow path 6a by the latent heat of evaporation of the water. Note that the water sprays 4a and 4b in the first indirect evaporative cooler 20 and the second indirect evaporative cooler 24 preferably form dry fog or mist.

[0029] In FIG. 1, the desiccant air conditioner 100 further includes an outside air supply flow path 22. The outside air supply flow path 22 supplies the outside air 3a supplied by the outside air introduction blower 8c to the wet flow path 6b of the first indirect evaporative cooler 20. The outside air 3a passes through the wet flow path 6b of the first indirect evaporative cooler 20 together with the water spray 4a, and cools the dehumidified air 1c dehumidified by the dehumidification rotor 10 in the dry flow path 6a by the latent heat of evaporation of the water spray 4a in the wet flow path 6b. The outside air 3a containing the water vapor evaporated in the wet flow path 6b of the first indirect evaporative cooler 20 is discharged to the outside from the wet flow path 6b of the first indirect evaporative cooler 20 as the exhaust air 3b.

[0030] In FIG. 1, the desiccant air conditioner 100 further includes a branch flow path 26. The branch flow path 26 supplies a part of the cooled air 1d cooled by the first indirect evaporative cooler 20 to the wet flow path 6b of the second indirect evaporative cooler 24. With this configuration, in the second indirect evaporative cooler 24, a part of the cooled air 1d cooled by the first indirect evaporative cooler 20 and the remaining part of the cooled air 1d in the dry flow path 6a can be indirectly cooled by the water spray 4b. Note that the branch flow path 26 is preferably the internal branch flow path 28 of the indirect evaporative cooler 30 described later, but it may be an external branch flow path.

[0031] In the embodiment described later, the flow rate ratio between the dry side and the wet side in the second indirect evaporative cooler 24 is 52:48. This flow rate ratio can be easily set according to the flow path resistance ratio between the dry flow path 6a and the wet flow path 6b. Further, a valve or the like may be provided in the branch flow path 26 if necessary.

[0032] In Fig. 1, the cooling air 1d cooled in the dry flow path 6a of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 is used as the supply air 1e for general purposes such as indoor cooling. Further, if necessary, the supply air 1e can be further cooled by spraying water on the supply air 1e and directly cooling it with dry fog or mist.

[0033] The cooling air 1d containing the water vapor evaporated in the wet flow path 6b of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 is discharged as the humidified air 1f from the wet flow path 6b of the first indirect vaporization cooler 20.

[0034] The humidified air circulation flow path 40 in Fig. 1 supplies the humidified air 1f (including a part of the cooling air 1d and water vapor) that has exited the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 to the outside air inflow side of the outside air introduction blower 8a. The outside air introduction blower 8a pressurizes the mixed air 1b of the outside air 1a and the humidified air 1f and supplies it to the dehumidifying rotor 10. As described above, the outside air introduction blower 8a pressurizes the mixed air 1b of the outside air 1a and the humidified air 1f and supplies it to the dehumidifying rotor 10.

[0035] With the above-described configuration, since the desiccant air conditioner 100 includes the dehumidifying rotor 10, the first indirect vaporization cooler 20, and the second indirect vaporization cooler 24, the outside air is dehumidified by the dehumidifying rotor 10, and the outside air (dehumidified air 1c) dehumidified by the first indirect vaporization cooler 20 and the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 can be cooled in two stages. Thereby, compared with an air conditioner of the overcooling dehumidification / reheating method, it is possible to dehumidify, cool, and supply the outside air with low energy while performing ventilation. In addition, the present invention uses only water as the refrigerant, contributing to the protection of the global environment.

[0036] When cooling the room with the supply air, ventilation corresponding to the supply air volume is performed from the room. This ventilation is preferably performed by a ventilation fan or a dedicated blower. Further, when the conditions are satisfied, ventilation may be used instead of the outside air 2a or the outside air 3a shown in Fig. 1.

[0037] In addition, the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 indirectly cools a part of the cooling air 1d cooled by the first indirect vaporization cooler 20 and the remaining part of the cooling air 1d with the sprinkling water 4b. Therefore, the inflowing air (cooling air 1d) of the wet flow path 6b of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 is lower in temperature and lower in absolute humidity than the outside air. Therefore, since the wet-bulb temperature of the air in the wet flow path of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 is significantly lower than the outside air, the air (cooling air 1d) in the dry flow path 6a of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 can be further cooled, and the supply air temperature can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional case.

[0038] In addition, since the humid air circulation flow path 40 supplies the humid air 1f that has exited the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 to the outside air inflow side of the outside air introduction blower 8a, the humid air 1f corresponding to the amount of air supplied to the wet flow path 6b of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 is mixed into the outside air 1a. Thereby, the amount of air cooled by the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 can be maintained the same as the amount of the introduced outside air 1a. In addition, the humid air 1 that has exited the wet flow path 6b of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 has the same absolute humidity as the outside air 1a before dehumidification and is lower in temperature than the outside air 1a. Therefore, the load on the dehumidification rotor 10 can be maintained with substantially little increase in its performance.

[0039] FIG. 2 is an overall flow chart of the desiccant air conditioning method according to the present invention. Note that this figure is shown along the flow of the outside air 1a introduced by the outside air introduction blower 8a, and each step proceeds simultaneously.

[0040] In FIG. 2, the desiccant air conditioning method has steps (processes) S1 to S6. In the outside air introduction step S1, the outside air 1a is pressurized and introduced. At this time, since the humid air 1f is supplied (circulated) to the outside air inflow side of the outside air introduction blower 8a, the outside air introduction blower 8a pressurizes the mixed air 1b of the outside air 1a and the humid air 1f and supplies it to the dehumidification rotor 10.

[0041] In the dehumidification step S2, moisture in the air (mixed air 1b) introduced into the dehumidification chamber 10a of the dehumidification rotor 10 is dehumidified by a dehumidifying material. By this step S2, the absolute humidity of the dehumidified air 1c is greatly reduced. In the regeneration step S6, the dehumidifying material that has absorbed moisture by heated air is regenerated in the regeneration chamber 10b of the dehumidification rotor 10. Note that this step S6 is carried out using the heated air 2b independently of the flow of the outside air 1a. The dehumidification step S2 and the regeneration step S6 are repeatedly carried out inside the dehumidification rotor 10.

[0042] In the first indirect evaporation cooling step S3, the dehumidified air 1c dehumidified in the dehumidification step S2 is indirectly cooled by the outside air 3a and the sprinkling water 4a. By this step S3, the temperature of the cooling air 1d greatly decreases while maintaining the low absolute humidity of the dehumidified air 1c. In the second indirect evaporation cooling step S4, a part of the cooling air 1d cooled in the first indirect evaporation cooling step S3 and the remaining part of the cooling air 1d are indirectly cooled by the sprinkling water. By this step S4, the supply air 1e (corresponding to the remaining part of the cooling air 1d) further decreases in temperature while maintaining the low absolute humidity of the cooling air 1d. The supply air 1e indirectly cooled in the second indirect evaporation cooling step S4 is used for general purposes such as indoor cooling.

[0043] In the humidifying air circulation step S5, the humidifying air 1f (including a part of the cooling air 1d and water vapor) generated in the second indirect evaporation cooling step S4 is mixed into the outside air in the outside air introduction step S1. In the outside air introduction step S1, the outside air introduction blower 8a pressurizes the mixed air 1b of the outside air 1a and the humidifying air 1f and supplies it to the dehumidification rotor 10.

[0044] By the above-described desiccant air conditioning method, the same effect as that of the above-described desiccant air conditioner 100 is obtained.

[0045] FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the indirect evaporation cooler 30 according to the present invention. In this figure, (A) is a configuration diagram of the dry flow path 6a and the wet flow path 6b, (B) is a longitudinal sectional view of the dry flow path 6a, and (C) is a longitudinal sectional view of the wet flow path 6b.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 3(A), the dry flow path 6a and the wet flow path 6b are separated by a partition wall 7a. Also, the intervals between adjacent partition walls 7a are kept constant by a plurality (a large number) of interval maintaining members 7b. Note that the interval maintaining member 7b is an elongated thin plate in this example, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and it may be a corrugated material obtained by bending a thin plate into a waveform, a square shape, or a rectangular shape. Also, the flow path of the wet flow path 6b has a wet surface to which a non-woven fabric is attached. This wet surface is preferably the inner surface of the partition wall 7a of the wet flow path 6b, but it may also be the surface of the interval maintaining member 7b.

[0047] As shown in Figs. 3(B) and (C), the indirect vaporization cooler 30 is a device in which the first indirect vaporization cooler 20, the second indirect vaporization cooler 24, and the internal branch flow path 28 are integrated. The first indirect vaporization cooler 20 and the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 are indirect heat exchangers that separate the dry flow path 6a and the wet flow path 6b by a partition wall 7a, sprinkle water on the wet flow path 6b, and cool the air in the dry flow path 6a while maintaining the absolute humidity of the dry flow path 6a with the latent heat of vaporization of water.

[0048] The internal branch flow path 28 has a function of supplying a part of the cooled air cooled by the first indirect vaporization cooler 20 to the wet flow path 6b of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24. The internal branch flow path 28 corresponds to the above-described branch flow path 26 and is provided in the housing of the integrated indirect vaporization cooler 30 in this example.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 3(B), the indirect vaporization cooler 30 has a dry flow supply manifold 32, a dry flow exhaust manifold 33, and a dry flow intermediate manifold 34. The dehumidified air 1c described above is supplied to the dry flow supply manifold 32 from the dehumidifying rotor 10. The dry flow supply manifold 32 communicates with the dry flow path inlet 31a of the first indirect vaporization cooler 20 and supplies the dehumidified air 1c to the dry flow path 6a of the first indirect vaporization cooler 20. The dry flow exhaust manifold 33 communicates with the dry flow path outlet 31d of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24. A supply air pipe for supplying the supply air 1e is connected to the dry flow exhaust manifold 33, and the supply air 1e is supplied to the outside for general purposes such as indoor cooling.

[0050] In FIG. 3(B), the dry flow intermediate manifold 34 is located between the first indirect vaporization cooler 20 and the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 and communicates with the dry flow path outlet 31b of the first indirect vaporization cooler 20 and the dry flow path inlet 31c of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24. Also, as shown in FIG. 3(C), the dry flow intermediate manifold 34 has an internal branch flow path 28 that communicates with the wet flow supply manifold 35b of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24.

[0051] Also, as shown in FIG. 3(C), the first indirect vaporization cooler 20 and the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 each have wet flow supply manifolds 35a and 35b that communicate with independent wet flow path inlets 37a and 37b, respectively. Further, the first indirect vaporization cooler 20 and the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 each have wet flow exhaust manifolds 36a and 36b that communicate with independent wet flow path outlets 38a and 38b, respectively.

[0052] The outside air supply flow path 22 is connected to the wet flow supply manifold 35a of the first indirect vaporization cooler 20, and the outside air 3a described above is supplied from the outside. An exhaust pipe is connected to the wet flow exhaust manifold 36a of the first indirect vaporization cooler 20 to discharge the exhaust 3b to the outside. The wet flow supply manifold 35b of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 has no external piping communicating with the outside, and a part of the cooling air 1d is supplied from the dry flow intermediate manifold 34 through the internal branch flow path 28. That is, the internal branch flow path 28 communicates the dry flow intermediate manifold 34 with the wet flow supply manifold 35b of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24. Also, a humidified air circulation flow path 40 is connected to the wet flow exhaust manifold 36b of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24, and the humidified air 1f that has exited the wet flow path 6b of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 is supplied to the outside air inflow side of the outside air introduction blower 8a.

[0053] Since the indirect vaporization cooler 30 has the first indirect vaporization cooler 20, the second indirect vaporization cooler 24, and the internal branch flow path 28, a part of the cooling air 1d cooled by the first indirect vaporization cooler 20 can be supplied to the wet flow path 6b of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 through the internal branch flow path 28. Therefore, since the wet bulb temperature of the wet flow path air of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 becomes significantly lower than the outside air, the air in the dry flow path 6a of the second indirect vaporization cooler 24 can be further cooled, and the supply air temperature can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional case. Also, since the first indirect vaporization cooler 20, the second indirect vaporization cooler 24, and the internal branch flow path 28 of the indirect vaporization cooler 30 are integrated, the installation and handling of the device become easy.

Example

[0054] The outside air temperature from 7:00 to 18:00 on the hottest day (July 26, 2023) in Tokyo in the summer of 2023 was in the range of 30°C to 37.5°C, and the highest temperature was 37.5°C around 14:00. Also, the absolute humidity of the outside air at this highest temperature was 16.8 g / kg (DA). Hereinafter, the calculation results when the outside air is at a temperature of 37.5°C and an absolute humidity of 16.8 g / kg (DA) will be described.

[0055] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the positions of the air on the psychrometric chart indicated by reference numerals A, B, C, D, E, and F in FIG. 1. Table 1 is a comparison table showing the physical properties (flow rate, temperature, absolute humidity, and relative humidity) of the air with symbols A to F.

[0056]

Table 1

[0057] Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 4 and Table 1, the calculation results of the characteristics of the desiccant air conditioner 100 will be described.

[0058] (Flow rate) When the required flow rate of the supply air 1e at point E in FIG. 1 is 1000 Nm 3 / h, the flow rate of the outside air 1a at point A is the same as the supply air flow rate, which is 1000 Nm 3 / h. Also, the wet side flow rate (flow rate of the branch flow path 26) of the second indirect evaporative cooler 24 is set from the required cooling capacity of the second indirect evaporative cooler 24, and in this example, it is 480 Nm 3 / h. As described above, the flow rate ratio between the dry side and the wet side in the dry flow intermediate manifold 34 can be easily set according to the flow path resistance ratio between the dry flow path 6a and the wet flow path 6b of the second indirect evaporative cooler 24. Also, if necessary, a valve or the like may be provided in the branch flow path 26 (inner branch flow path 28). The flow rate of the humidified air 1f at point F is the same as the flow rate of the branch flow path 26, which is 480 Nm 3 / h. The flow rates at points B, C, and D are the sum of the outside air 1a and the humidified air 1f, and in this example, it is 1480 Nm 3 / h.

[0059] (Pressure balance) In FIG. 1, the pressure of the supply air (outside air 1a to supply air 1e) is the highest at the mixed air 1b at point B pressurized by the outside air introduction blower 8a, and decreases in the order of points C, D, and E due to the respective flow path resistances. Also, the pressure at point D is higher than that at point E by the flow path resistance of the dry flow path 6a of the second indirect evaporative cooler 24, and the pressure at point F is lower than that at point D by the flow path resistance of the wet flow path 6b of the second indirect evaporative cooler 24. Therefore, by setting the pressure at point E higher than the atmospheric pressure (normal pressure), the pressure at point F can be set higher than the outside air 1a, and the humidified air 1f can be supplied (circulated) from point F to the outside air inflow side (point A) of the outside air introduction blower 8a without using a blower for air circulation. Also, the flow rates of the outside air 1a and the supply air 1e can be freely set independently by controlling the outside air introduction blower 8a.

[0060] The outside air 2a is pressurized by the outside air introduction blower 8b and then discharged as exhaust air 2c after passing through the regeneration chamber 10b of the air heater 50 and the dehumidifying rotor 10. The pressure in the regeneration chamber 10b is set to be substantially the same as the pressure in the dehumidifying chamber 10a. Therefore, the flow rate of the outside air 2a can be freely set independently by controlling the outside air introduction blower 8b.

[0061] The outside air 3a is pressurized by the outside air introduction blower 8c and then discharged as exhaust air 3b after passing through the wet flow path 6b of the first indirect vaporization cooler 20. The inlet pressure of the wet flow path 6b of the first indirect vaporization cooler 20 is set to be substantially the same as the inlet pressure of the dry flow path 6a. Therefore, the flow rate of the outside air 3a can be freely set independently by controlling the outside air introduction blower 8c.

[0062] (Temperature and absolute humidity) Assuming the hottest day in Tokyo in the summer of 2023 as described above, the temperature of the outside air 1a at point A was set to 35.7°C, the absolute humidity was set to 16.8 g / kg (DA), and the relative humidity was set to 45%. The mixed air 1b at point B is the one where the humidified air 1f merges with the outside air 1a. In this example, the humidified air 1f has a temperature of 23.3°C and an absolute humidity of 18.2 g / kg (DA). Under these conditions, the temperature of the mixed air 1b at point B is 31.7°C, the absolute humidity is 17.2 g / kg (DA), and the relative humidity is 58%. In the psychrometric chart of FIG. 4, points A and B are shown as the intersections of their respective temperatures and absolute humidities. From this figure, it can be seen that the positions of the outside air 1a at point A and the mixed air 1b at point B on the psychrometric chart are close, the absolute humidity is almost the same, and the temperature at point B is lower.

[0063] When the mixed air 1b at point B is dehumidified by the dehumidification rotor 10, the mixed air 1b is heated, so the enthalpy of the dehumidified air 1c increases and reaches point C in Figure 4. The temperature at point C rises to 50.7 °C in this example, but the absolute humidity decreases to 11.4 g / kg (DA). Since the wet-bulb temperature of the outside air 1a at point A is less than 26 °C in Figure 4, in the first indirect evaporative cooler 20, the temperature at point D can be lowered to 26.9 °C. The absolute humidity at point D is the same as that at point C. Furthermore, since the wet-bulb temperature of the cooling air 1d at point D is less than 20 °C in Figure 4, in the second indirect evaporative cooler 24, the temperature at point E can be lowered to 20.7 °C. The absolute humidity at point E is the same as that at point C, which is 11.4 g / kg (DA).

[0064] From the above calculation results, it was confirmed that on a sweltering day in Japan (for example, the outside air temperature is 36 °C and the absolute humidity is about 17 g / kg (DA)), an air supply temperature of about 20 °C can be ensured, and the required air supply flow rate can be ensured without increasing the size of the component equipment.

[0065] Also, since the relative humidity at point E is about 75%, if necessary, by further spraying water and directly cooling with dry fog or mist, the air supply can be cooled to 18.2 °C.

Example

[0066] The outside air temperature from 7:00 to 18:00 on a sweltering day in Japan as described above was in the range of 30 °C to 37.5 °C, and the absolute humidity was in the range of about 12 to 18.4 g / kg (DA). As a result of calculating the air supply temperature by the device in Figure 1 within this range, the temperature of the air supply 1e was within the range of 19.0 °C to 20.7 °C, and it was confirmed that it had a sufficient cooling effect as an air conditioner.

Example

[0067] In Example 1, the temperature of the heated air 2b is set to 70°C. When the temperature of the heated air 2b is 60°C or 80°C, the temperatures of the supply air 1e are 21.5°C and 20.0°C under the same conditions, and it has been confirmed that the heated air 2b has a sufficient cooling effect as an air conditioner in the range of 60°C to 80°C.

[0068] The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but is shown by the description in the claims, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the description in the claims.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0069] 1a outside air, 1b mixed air, 1c dehumidified air, 1d cooled air, 1e supply air, 1f humidified air, 2a outside air, 2b heated air, 3a outside air, 3b exhaust air, 4a, 4b water spray, 6a dry flow path, 6b wet flow path, 7a partition wall, 7b spacer, 8a, 8b, 8c outside air introduction blower, 10 dehumidification rotor, 10a dehumidification chamber, 10b regeneration chamber, 20 first indirect evaporation cooler, 22 outside air supply flow path, 24 second indirect evaporation cooler, 26 branch flow path, 28 internal branch flow path, 30 indirect evaporation cooler, 31a dry flow path inlet, 31b dry flow path outlet, 31c dry flow path inlet, 31d dry flow path outlet, 32 dry flow supply manifold, 33 dry flow exhaust manifold, 34 dry flow intermediate manifold, 35a, 35b wet flow supply manifold, 36a, 36b wet flow exhaust manifold, 37a, 37b wet flow path inlet, 38a, 38b wet flow path outlet, 40 humidified air circulation flow path, 50 air heater, 100 desiccant air conditioner

Claims

1. An outside air introduction blower for pressurizing and introducing outside air, a dehumidification rotor having a dehumidification chamber for dehumidifying moisture in the introduced air with a dehumidifying material and a regeneration chamber for regenerating the dehumidifying material that has absorbed moisture, a first indirect evaporative cooler for indirectly cooling the dehumidified air dehumidified by the dehumidification rotor with outside air and water spray, a second indirect evaporative cooler for indirectly cooling a part of the cooled air cooled by the first indirect evaporative cooler and the remaining part of the cooled air with water spray, and a humidified air circulation passage for supplying the part of the cooled air that has exited the second indirect evaporative cooler and the humidified air containing water vapor to the outside air inflow side of the outside air introduction blower. A desiccant air conditioner.

2. The first indirect evaporative cooler and the second indirect evaporative cooler are indirect heat exchangers in which a dry flow path and a wet flow path are separated by a partition wall, and water is sprayed into the wet flow path to cool the air in the dry flow path while maintaining the absolute humidity of the dry flow path with the latent heat of evaporation of water. The desiccant air conditioner according to claim 1.

3. The desiccant air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising a branch flow path for supplying a part of the cooled air cooled by the first indirect evaporative cooler to the wet flow path of the second indirect evaporative cooler.

4. The desiccant air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising an air heater for heating air and supplying it to the regeneration chamber of the dehumidification rotor.

5. The desiccant air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising an outside air supply passage for supplying outside air to the wet flow path of the first indirect evaporative cooler.

6. An outside air introduction step of pressurizing and introducing outside air, a dehumidification step of dehumidifying moisture in the introduced air with a dehumidifying material, a first indirect evaporative cooling step of indirectly cooling the dehumidified air dehumidified in the dehumidification step with outside air and water spray, a second indirect evaporative cooling step of indirectly cooling a part of the cooled air cooled in the first indirect evaporative cooling step and the remaining part of the cooled air with water spray, and a humidified air circulation step of mixing the humidified air generated in the second indirect evaporative cooling step into the outside air in the outside air introduction step. A desiccant air conditioning method.

7. The desiccant air conditioning method according to claim 6, further comprising a regeneration step of regenerating the dehumidifying material that has absorbed moisture with heated air.

8. A first indirect evaporative cooler and a second indirect evaporative cooler which are indirect heat exchangers in which a dry flow path and a wet flow path are separated by a partition wall, and water is sprayed into the wet flow path to cool the air in the dry flow path while maintaining the absolute humidity of the dry flow path with the latent heat of evaporation of water, An internal branch flow path that supplies a part of the cooling air cooled by the first indirect vaporization cooler to the wet flow path of the second indirect vaporization cooler. An indirect vaporization cooler in which the first indirect vaporization cooler, the second indirect vaporization cooler, and the internal branch flow path are integrated.

9. A dry flow supply manifold communicating with the dry flow path inlet of the first indirect vaporization cooler. A dry flow exhaust manifold communicating with the dry flow path outlet of the second indirect vaporization cooler. The indirect vaporization cooler according to claim 8, further comprising a dry flow intermediate manifold located between the first indirect vaporization cooler and the second indirect vaporization cooler and communicating with the dry flow path outlet of the first indirect vaporization cooler and the dry flow path inlet of the second indirect vaporization cooler.

10. Each of the first indirect vaporization cooler and the second indirect vaporization cooler has a wet flow supply manifold communicating with a wet flow path inlet independent of each other and a wet flow exhaust manifold communicating with a wet flow path outlet. The indirect vaporization cooler according to claim 9, wherein the internal branch flow path communicates the dry flow intermediate manifold with the wet flow supply manifold of the second indirect vaporization cooler.

11. The indirect vaporization cooler according to claim 8, wherein the flow path of the wet flow path has a wet surface to which a non-woven fabric is attached.

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