Air conditioning system for clean room

Abstract

To provide an air conditioning system for a clean room that allows efficient realization of a clean room economically and with minimal space.SOLUTION: An air conditioning system for a clean room includes a blower unit provided in a part of a target space in a plan view, the blower unit being disposed to blow purified air toward a collision surface below, wherein the height from the collision surface to the air outlet of the blower unit is 0.5 m or more and 3.0 m or less, and the blowout air velocity from the blower unit is 0.15 m / s or more and 1.5 m / s or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] FIG. 8 shows an example of an air conditioning system in a clean room. The target space S is configured as an industrial clean room of the ballroom type, and a plurality of air supply units 2 are installed on the ceiling 1. The air supply unit 2 sucks the air above the ceiling 1 into the housing by a fan, blows it onto a filter, and sends the air purified through the filter to the lower target space S.

[0003] The floor 3 of the target space S is configured as a raised floor made of punching panels, gratings, etc. The air sent from the air supply unit 2 into the target space S passes through the openings in the floor 3 and escapes as return air to the space under the floor, and is sent to the space above the ceiling through a retarding shaft 4 that communicates the space under the floor and the ceiling back, and is supplied again from the air supply unit 2 to the target space S.

[0004] In the target space S, which is an industrial clean room, equipment 5 such as production equipment is operating, and the indoor air receives the exhaust heat of the equipment 5 and is in a state of being heated up, and escapes to the space under the floor as return air. The heated return air needs to be cooled to a temperature suitable for the operation of the equipment 5 before it returns from under the floor to above the ceiling and is sent out again from the air supply unit 2. In the example shown here, a cooling unit 6, which is a dry coil, is provided near the entrance of the retarding shaft 4 to cool the return air after it has passed through the floor 3 of the target space S.

[0005] Thus, in the air conditioning system shown in FIG. 8, clean air is supplied from the blower unit 2 in the target space S, and the air is circulated throughout the entire facility including the target space S. In such air circulation, the blower unit 2 generally blows air downward into the target space S, but the airflow formed thereby is not a one-way extrusion flow, but a non-one-way airflow that dilutes and mixes the dust generated indoors with clean air.

[0006] Note that the example shown here is a schematic diagram. In an actual industrial cleanroom, in addition to those shown in the figure, equipment such as an outdoor unit and a humidifier are usually further provided, but the illustration is omitted here.

[0007] As prior art documents related to this type of cleanroom air conditioning system, for example, there are the following Patent Document 1 and the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] By the way, in a conventional clean room as described above, due to air circulation, maintenance, etc., there needs to be a space of a certain size partitioned from the target space S around the target space S. Above the ceiling 1 where a number of air supply units 2 are installed, a space above the ceiling is required to ensure the flow of air to the air supply units 2 and to enable maintenance of the air supply units 2. Also, below the floor 3 installed as a raised floor, it is necessary to provide an underfloor space of a certain height as an air flow path and also as a working space or a maintenance space. As a result, the area that can be used as a clean room is limited, and the size of the entire facility has also increased.

[0010] Also, in order to widely supply the non-unidirectional air flow as described above to the target space S, it is necessary to construct the ceiling 1 with a large area as a cell ceiling and arrange the air supply units 2 thereon. Depending on the configuration of the clean room, there may be cases where the air supply units are sparsely arranged on the ceiling. Even in such cases, in order to arrange the air supply units at regular intervals, it is still necessary to construct a ceiling with a large area using the air supply units and blank panels.

[0011] Furthermore, since a negative pressure is generated in the space above the ceiling due to the operation of the air supply units 2, a mechanism is required on the housing side to prevent dust from entering the space above the ceiling from the outside. Also, since the underfloor also serves as an air flow path, dust prevention measures are required here to maintain the air cleanliness, and these have been factors increasing the cost of constructing the target space S as a clean room.

[0012] In view of such circumstances, the present invention aims to provide an air conditioning system for a clean room that can preferably realize a clean room in a space-saving and inexpensive manner.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0013] The present invention relates to an air conditioning system for a clean room, which is provided with a blower unit in a part of a target space in a plan view. The blower unit is arranged to send out purified air toward a lower collision surface, the height of the blower outlet from the collision surface is 0.5 m or more and 3.0 m or less, and the blowing air velocity in the blower unit is 0.15 m / s or more and 1.5 m / s or less.

[0014] In the air conditioning system for a clean room of the present invention, a cooling unit for cooling the air in the target space can be provided above the blower unit.

[0015] In the air conditioning system for a clean room of the present invention, a cooling unit for cooling the air sucked out from the target space is provided outside the target space, and a suction port for sucking out the air in the target space and guiding it to the cooling unit, and a supply port for supplying the conditioned air from the cooling unit to the target space can also be provided.

[0016] In the air conditioning system for a clean room of the present invention, the blower units can be arranged along the wall of the target space.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to the air conditioning system for a clean room of the present invention, a clean room can be preferably realized with space saving and low cost.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example (first embodiment) of the form of an air conditioning system for a clean room according to the implementation of the present invention. In the figure, parts with the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 8 represent the same objects.

[0021] In the air conditioning system of this first embodiment, an apparatus equipped with an air supply unit 2 having a filter and a cooling unit 6 is configured as a floor-standing air conditioning unit (clean air conditioning unit) 7, and this is arranged along the mutually opposing walls 8 at both ends of the target space S which is a clean room. That is, in the conventional example shown in FIG. 8, the air supply unit 2 was sparsely arranged over the entire area of the target space S in plan view, and air was supplied downward from there, but in this first embodiment, the air supply unit 2 is arranged only in a part of the area (the vicinity of both ends) in the plan view of the target space S, and air is supplied from there toward the center of the target space S.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 1, the clean air-conditioning unit 7 is configured with a floor-standing frame, and therein, an air supply unit 2 and a cooling unit 6 which is a dry coil are supported at an appropriate height with respect to the floor 9.

[0023] The air supply unit 2 is a device called a fan-filter unit (FFU) etc. which has a fan and a HEPA filter in a housing, and while sucking in the air above by driving the fan, blows it onto the filter and sends out the purified air downward. The installation height of the air supply unit 2 in the clean unit air-conditioning unit 7 is set to be considerably lower than the position of the ceiling, and is, for example, about 1 to 2 m with respect to the floor 9 (the setting of the height of this air supply unit 2 will be described again later). From this position, the air supply unit 2 blows air downward onto the lower floor 9.

[0024] In the case of this first embodiment, the position of the cooling unit 6 in the clean air-conditioning unit 7 is directly above the air supply unit 2, and is arranged at a height vertically separated from the air supply unit 2 by about several tens of cm to 1 m. The upper part of the clean air-conditioning unit 7 is configured as a box-shaped housing 7a having an internal space, and a suction port 7b and a blowout port 7c are respectively provided on the upper surface and the lower surface of the housing. The cooling unit 6 and the air supply unit 2 are respectively arranged at the suction port 7b and the blowout port 7c. When the fan of the air supply unit 2 operates, air is sucked into the housing 7a from the suction port 7b, and at the same time, the air in the housing 7a is sent out from the blowout port 7c. The air is cooled by the cooling unit 6 as it passes through the suction port 7b, and is purified by the filter of the air supply unit 2 when passing through the blowout port 7c.

[0025] The lower part of the clean air-conditioning unit 7 (the part below the air supply unit 2) has at least a part of the side surface opened, and the air blown out from the air supply unit 2 collides with the floor 9, then changes its direction along the floor 9 and is sent out laterally from the opened part.

[0026] The floor 9 is different from the floor 3 in the above-described conventional example shown in FIG. 8, and is not configured as a punching panel or grating. In principle, the floor 9 in the first embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which the entire surface is closed, and the space under the floor is not assumed to be an air flow path, and air circulates exclusively above the floor 9 (however, it is possible to provide a part of the floor 9 with holes or the like for passing some members such as cables as necessary to the extent that the air circulation is not hindered). Further, the floor 9 may be a raised floor as necessary and the space under the floor may be used as a working space or the like, but the height through which air circulates as in the conventional example of FIG. 8 is not necessary. On the upper surface of the floor 9, equipment 5 such as production equipment is arranged and operated. The equipment 5 is, for example, a production apparatus that processes an object such as a wafer as a base material for forming a semiconductor integrated circuit, a substrate of a flat panel display, or a container for storing these articles. The air sent out laterally from the clean unit air conditioning unit 7 flows toward the central region of the target space S where the equipment 5 is arranged.

[0027] In this specification, expressions such as "downward" and "lateral" are used for the air flow and the like, but these do not refer only to the directions that exactly coincide with the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. In the normal sense or in an air conditioning system such as the present invention, they refer to directions within a range that can generally be considered "downward" and "lateral". Further, the expression "along the floor" also does not refer only to the case where the direction exactly coincides with the plane formed by the floor, but means to generally follow the plane formed by the floor. The same applies to the expression "orthogonal", which does not mean that one direction and another direction exactly form a right angle, but practically refers to an angle that can be expressed as "orthogonal".

[0028] The arrangement of the clean air conditioning unit 7 will be described. In the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the clean air conditioning unit 7 is arranged in two rows along the walls 8 corresponding to both ends of a room that is generally square in plan view. When viewed from each air supply unit 2 provided in the clean air conditioning unit 7, with respect to the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the plurality of air supply units 2 are arranged in plan view, the wall 8 is located on one side, and the central portion of the target space S and the equipment 5 arranged therein are located on the other side.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 1, clean air is sent downward from the blower unit 2 toward the floor 9. The downward air collides with the floor 9 serving as a collision surface and changes the flow direction along the surface of the floor 9. However, in the case of this first embodiment, for the air sent out from the blower unit 2, there is a wall 8 in one of the four horizontal directions, and in the other two directions, there are flows of downward air sent out from another adjacent blower unit 2. Most of the air sent downward from the blower unit 2 and whose direction is changed along the floor 9 is blocked in three directions and is guided to the remaining one direction which is the target direction (note that for the indoor air A1 sent out from the blower units 2 located at both ends among the blower units 2 arranged linearly, there are walls 8 in two directions and there is a flow of indoor air A1 sent out from the adjacent blower unit 2 in one direction. As a result, it will similarly flow in the remaining one direction). Here, the "target direction" is the direction in which there is a region where air is desired to be supplied as seen from the blower unit 2. In the case of a clean room such as this first embodiment, it is the direction in which there is a region where the equipment 5 is arranged. Stated with reference to the drawing, for the blower unit 2 of the clean air-conditioning unit 7 arranged in the left column in the figure, it is to the right, and for the blower unit 2 of the clean air-conditioning unit 7 arranged in the right column in the figure, it is to the left.

[0030] The air whose direction has been changed in this way proceeds toward the central part of the target space S where the equipment 5 is arranged. At this time, the main flow of the air proceeds while crawling on the upper surface of the floor 9 due to the Coandă effect and receives the waste heat from the equipment 5. As a result, a part of the air whose temperature has risen moves upward due to the density difference caused by the temperature difference, and a temperature stratification is formed on the floor 9 where the temperature is higher at higher positions and lower at lower positions.

[0031] In this first embodiment, a clean air-conditioning unit 7 is arranged with a blower unit 2 provided along the walls 8 on both sides of the room in plan view. For each of these blower units 2 on both sides, the air movement as described above occurs. The air flow along the floor 9 flows from positions along the walls 8 on both sides of the target space S to the side opposite the wall 8 as seen from the blower unit 2. Thus, when viewed from the floor 9, an air flow is formed from both ends of the target space S towards the center.

[0032] The main air flow flowing along the floor 9 from both ends of the target space S collides with each other at the central part and then turns upward here. The position where the air turns upward is in the target direction as seen from the blower unit 2 that sends out clean conditioned air.

[0033] At a height above the floor 9, a suction port 7b provided at the upper part of the clean air-conditioning unit 7 is located. Inside the housing 7a of the clean air-conditioning unit 7, a negative pressure is generated by the operation of the blower unit 2. Therefore, the air that has risen above the floor 9 is sucked into the space inside the housing 7a through the suction port 7b. At this time, it is cooled to an appropriate temperature by the cooling unit 6. The air that is sucked into the housing 7a while being cooled is blown downward again by the blower unit 2 and supplied to the target space S.

[0034] Previously, the description was based on the premise that the lower part of the clean air conditioning unit 7 (the part below the air supply unit 2) has a configuration in which the entire horizontal four directions are open. Regarding this part, at least in a plan view, as long as the target direction (the direction in which the air sent downward collides with the floor 9 and then the flow is redirected laterally; in this first embodiment, the direction toward the central region of the target space S on the opposite side of the wall 8) is open when viewed from the air supply unit 2, the same air flow as described above can be realized. For example, the lower part of the clean air conditioning unit 7 may be configured as a housing similar to the upper part (the part above the air supply unit 2), and among the four side surfaces of the housing, an opening for air to flow may be provided at a height near the floor in the target direction. In that case, the air flow that flows downward from the air supply unit 2 and collides with the floor 9 will be guided to the remaining one direction (the direction in which the opening is provided) because the horizontal three directions are blocked by the side walls of the housing.

[0035] Also, previously, the bottom surface of the clean air conditioning unit 7 (the part in contact with the floor 9) was described as an open surface, and the floor 9 was exposed directly below when viewed from the air supply unit 2. However, it is not limited to this. For example, a bottom surface portion along the surface of the floor 9 may be provided on the clean air conditioning unit 7 side and used as an air collision surface, and the downward air flow blown out from the air supply unit 2 may collide with the collision surface and change the flow direction laterally.

[0036] Thus, in the air conditioning system of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the air sent downward from the blower unit 2 arranged along the end wall 8 of the target space S flows along the upper surface of the floor 9, collides with each other when reaching the central part and then rises, and is sucked into the housing 7a from the suction port 7b, and then is sent downward from the blower unit 2 again, thus forming a form of air circulation. In such air circulation, a part of the air flowing along the upper surface of the floor 9 receives the exhaust heat of the equipment 5 in the middle before reaching the central part, rises in temperature, becomes smaller in density and rises, and merges with the airflow that collides and rises at the central part above the floor 9. The airflow along the floor surface maintains the dynamic pressure and flows due to the Coandă effect, and this is attracted by the air that has risen due to the exhaust heat, generating thermal drive. In this system, by also utilizing this phenomenon, the reach distance of clean air is increased. Specifically, although it also depends on conditions such as the assumed cleanliness, if the distance from the blower unit 2 to the central part of the target space S is about 10 m or more and 40 m or less, clean air can be suitably supplied into the target space S without excessively increasing the average wind speed, and it is more suitable if the distance is about 20 m or more and 25 m or less.

[0037] Note that the examples shown here are schematic diagrams. In an actual industrial clean room, in addition to those shown in the drawings, various facilities such as an outdoor unit, a humidifier, and rails and transport carts for transporting products are usually provided as required. However, for configurations that are not directly related to the gist of the present invention, the illustrations are appropriately omitted here.

[0038] The air conditioning system such as the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is first advantageous in terms of space utilization efficiency compared to the conventional example shown in FIG. 8. In the case of the conventional example in FIG. 8, in order to widely supply a downflow to the target space S, a ceiling 1 with a large area was constructed as a cell ceiling, and a blower unit 2 was arranged thereon. In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a floor-mounted clean air conditioning unit 7 may be installed in a part of the area, and a configuration in which the entire area in plan view is a cell ceiling is not necessary. Instead of the floor-mounted clean air conditioning unit 7, for example, a configuration in which the blower unit 2 and the cooling unit 6 are suspended from the ceiling at an appropriate height can also be considered. Even in that case, only a mechanism for suspension needs to be installed in that part, and it is still not necessary to provide a cell ceiling over the entire target space S. And in the area where the clean air conditioning unit 7 is not provided, the height up to the ceiling slab can be utilized, so it is easier to arrange, for example, tall devices and equipment compared to the example in FIG. 8.

[0039] Also, in the conventional example of FIG. 8, a certain height was required to use the space under the floor as an air flow path. However, in the first embodiment, since air flows on the floor 9, from the perspective of air circulation, it is not necessary to raise the floor 9 to a raised floor, and even when making it a raised floor, not much height is required. Regarding the floor as well, in the first embodiment, the height direction of the space can be effectively utilized, and a large space that can be used as a clean room can be secured. Also, since air is not circulated under the floor, no measures are required here to maintain a high air cleanliness.

[0040] Moreover, the first embodiment utilizes temperature stratification and efficiently cools the height close to the floor 9 of the target space S that particularly requires air conditioning, so it is also advantageous from the perspective of air conditioning efficiency. In the conventional example shown in FIG. 8, since air is supplied to the entire area of the target space S by downflow, it was necessary to adjust the entire area below the ceiling 1 where the blower unit 2 is installed to an appropriate temperature. However, in the case of the first embodiment, the return air A2 is recovered from the heat accumulation formed near the ceiling above the floor 9 where the equipment 5 is arranged and cooled. Since the air with a high temperature is the cooling target, the heat exchange efficiency in the cooling unit 6 is high.

[0041] Furthermore, the indoor air forms a thermal stratification, and the heated air that needs to be temperature-adjusted automatically rises to the height where the suction port 7b is located due to the density difference. Since this movement drives a part of the above-described air circulation, the energy related to air conveyance can also be saved.

[0042] Also, in this first embodiment, by effectively utilizing the Coandă effect, the air supplied from the blower unit 2 can reach farther. The air supplied from the blower unit 2 to the target space S is first sent downward and collides with the floor 9. Since the collided air has its direction changed along the upper surface of the floor 9, thereafter, due to the Coandă effect, it can reach a long distance away from the clean air conditioning unit 7, and clean air can be efficiently delivered to the equipment 5 away from the clean air conditioning unit 7. Thereby, for example, a cleanliness level around class 6 can be sufficiently achieved.

[0043] Here, as a system that performs air conditioning by a similar air flow using the Coandă effect, for example, there is a clean room air conditioning system according to Patent Document 2, which is a related invention by the same applicant as this application.

[0044] The system of this first embodiment is advantageous in the following points as compared with the system according to Patent Document 2. First, since the blower unit 2 is installed at a low position with respect to the floor 9, for example, even when air is blown out from the blower unit 2 at the same wind speed and air volume, the air flow is blown more strongly against the floor 9, and accordingly, a stronger Coandă effect can be obtained. The Coandă effect is a phenomenon in which the flow of a fluid behaves so as to maintain contact with structures such as a nearby floor or wall. If the Coandă effect of the air flow with respect to the floor 9 is strong, the distance that the air flow does not peel off from the floor 9 and flows becomes longer, and the reach distance of the air flow from the blower unit 2 in plan view can be lengthened. Even when the blower unit 2 is arranged along the wall, purified air can be efficiently supplied to the equipment 5 located at a position away from the wall 8.

[0045] Specifically, the height with respect to the collision surface of the air outlet (the floor 9 or the collision surface provided along the floor 9), and the air blowing speed in the air blowing unit 2 are set as follows, for example, considering the above-described Coandă effect and other conditions. · Height of the air outlet (height of the lower end of the air blowing unit 2 with respect to the floor 9): 0.5 m or more and 3.0 m or less from the floor surface (more preferably 0.5 m or more and 2.0 m or less) · Air blowing speed: 0.15 m / s or more and 1.5 m / s or less (more preferably 0.25 m / s or more and 1.5 m / s or less)

[0046] Figure 5 shows the calculation results of the SVE-3 value when the air conditioning system is operated while variously changing the height of the air outlet and the air blowing speed in the clean room as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. SVE-3 is a kind of value used as an index for evaluating the ventilation performance, and is a value obtained by dividing the air age by the nominal ventilation time. It can be said that the smaller the value of SVE-3, the higher the ventilation performance in that area. FIG. 5 shows the SVE-3 value at the same height as the air blowing unit 2 in the farthest area (the central area of the room at a distance of 20 m to 25 m from the air blowing unit 2 in plan view). The horizontal axis represents the height of the air blowing unit 2 with respect to the floor 9 (the distance between the lower end of the air blowing unit 2 and the floor surface).

[0047] According to this graph, if the height of the air outlet (the lower end of the air blowing unit 2) with respect to the collision surface (floor) 9 is in the range of 0.4 to 2.0 m, the SVE-3 value at the same height as the air blowing unit 2 in the farthest area is less than 0.9 regardless of whether the air blowing speed in the air blowing unit 2 is 0.25 m / s, 0.5 m / s, 1.0 m / s, or 1.5 m / s. This is well below the target value of SVE-3 = 1.0 for the ventilation performance in the clean room, and it has been demonstrated that good ventilation performance can actually be obtained under these conditions.

[0048] Moreover, when the blowing wind speed exceeds 1.5 m / s, there are concerns that the noise generated in the air supply unit 2 and the required power may exceed the allowable values. In addition, the average wind speed indoors may become too high. Therefore, it is preferable that the blowing wind speed be 1.5 m / s or less. Also, under conditions where the blowing wind speed is less than 0.25 m / s, the above-described Coandă effect cannot be sufficiently obtained, and there is a possibility that sufficient cleanliness cannot be achieved in the farthest area. From the above, in the clean room as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is considered appropriate that the blowing wind speed in the air supply unit 2 be in the range of 0.15 m / s or more and 1.5 m / s or less, more preferably 0.25 m / s or more and 1.5 m or less.

[0049] FIGS. 6 and 7 show the average wind speed of each area indoors when the height of the air outlet is set to 0.4 m and 0.6 m, respectively. The areas indoors are divided according to the distance in plan view from the air supply unit 2, and the average wind speed is calculated for each of the areas of 0 to 5 m, 5 to 10 m, 10 to 15 m, 15 to 20 m, and 20 to 25 m, and this is taken as the horizontal axis. The blowing wind speed in the air supply unit 2 is set to four values: 0.25 m / s, 0.5 m / s, 1.0 m / s, and 1.5 m / s.

[0050] According to the graph of FIG. 6, when the height of the air outlet is 0.4 m, depending on the setting of the blowing wind speed, an area where the average wind speed exceeds 1.0 m / s occurs. In the case of a clean room, it is desirable that the average wind speed does not exceed 1.0 m / s as a standard. However, if the height of the air supply unit 2 is too low, the airflow that collides with the floor 9 and changes its direction horizontally will flow too fast at an average speed exceeding 1.0 m / s.

[0051] On the other hand, in the graph of Fig. 7 showing the results when the height of the air outlet is 0.6 m, the average wind speed is less than 1.0 m / s in any blowing wind speed and any area, falling within the appropriate wind speed range in the clean room. From this, it is preferable that the lower limit of the height of the air supply unit 2 is about 0.5 m. On the other hand, if the air supply unit 2 is installed too high relative to the floor surface, problems such as a significant increase in the overall height of the clean air-conditioning unit 7 or the need for a structure to suspend the air supply unit 2 from the ceiling will occur. Therefore, as the upper limit of the height of the air supply unit 2, it is preferably about 3.0 m from the floor 9, more preferably about 2.0 m.

[0052] When the height of the air supply unit 2 is set as described above, the advantage that it is difficult to attract air with a high air age at the air outlet 7c can also be obtained. Particularly in the case of an air-conditioning system for a clean room, in order to maintain cleanliness, it is important to prevent air with a high air age from mixing with air with a low air age as much as possible. In the air circulation as shown in Fig. 1, it is intended to supply air with a low air age (the time since being supplied from the air supply unit 2 is short) below the target space S, and collect the air with an increased air age above the target space S and suck it in from the suction port 7b. That is, since air with a high air age gathers above the target space S, it is desirable that this air is not attracted as much as possible by the flow of air blown out from the air supply unit 2 at the air outlet 7c. Here, in the first embodiment, the height of the air outlet 7c provided with the air supply unit 2 is set to be about 1.5 to 2 m from the floor 9, for example. This is considerably lower compared to the case of providing the air outlet near the ceiling, for example, and there is little risk of attracting air with a high air age near the ceiling. In the system described in Patent Document 2 above, in order to suppress attraction, a vertical wall is provided near the air outlet as needed, but if the installation height of the air supply unit 2 is set as in the first embodiment, while eliminating the need for a structure such as a vertical wall, the attraction of the surrounding air at the air outlet 7c can be suppressed.

[0053] Furthermore, if the blower unit 2 is provided at a low position in this way, the cooling unit 6 can be provided in the space above it. In a clean room, when installing a cooling unit in the target space, the cooling unit is configured as a dry coil so that condensation does not occur on its surface. However, in case of deviation from the normal operating state resulting in condensation or water leakage due to damage or the like, installation above expensive equipment such as semiconductor production devices may be avoided. In the first embodiment, since the blower unit 2 is provided in the middle part in the vertical direction of the floor-mounted clean air-conditioning unit 7 and the cooling unit 6 is provided above it, the equipment 5 is not arranged below the cooling unit 6. Even if condensation or water leakage occurs, there is no risk of water droplets affecting the equipment 5. When the blower unit is provided at a high position, depending on conditions such as the height of the building ceiling, it may be necessary to shift the installation position of the cooling unit in plan view from the blower unit. As a result, the cooling unit may have to be arranged at a position above the equipment. However, if the position of the blower unit 2 is set low as in the first embodiment, the installation space for the cooling unit 6 can be secured by utilizing the space above it, and the area above the equipment 5 can be avoided.

[0054] Also, when the blower unit 2 is installed at a low position as in the first embodiment, there is no need to suspend the blower unit 2 from the ceiling, and the blower unit 2 can be installed as a part of the floor-mounted unit (clean air-conditioning unit 7). Therefore, the labor and cost for installing the blower unit 2 can be reduced.

[0055] Figs. 3 and 4 show another example (second embodiment) of the equipment arrangement of the air-conditioning system according to the implementation of the present invention. In the above first embodiment (see Figs. 1 and 2), the air-conditioning unit including the cooling unit 6 was configured as a clean air-conditioning unit 7 including the blower unit 2 which is an FFU. However, in the case of this second embodiment, the air-conditioning unit 10 including the cooling unit 6 is installed outside the target space S (for convenience of drawing, the illustration of the air-conditioning unit 10 is omitted in Fig. 4). The air-conditioning unit 10 is a general air-conditioning device including a fan, a filter, etc. in addition to the cooling unit 6.

[0056] Accordingly, in this second embodiment, at the ceiling height of the target space S, a suction port 10a for sucking the air in the target space S as return air and a supply port 10b for supplying conditioned air from the air conditioning unit 10 are provided. The positions of the suction port 10a and the supply port 10b in plan view are at the central part of the target space S (the position between the blower units 2 located at both ends) and above the blower unit 2, respectively.

[0057] Regarding the blower unit 2, it is arranged at the same position as in the first embodiment via a floor-standing frame.

[0058] Also in this second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, clean air is supplied downward from the blower unit 2, collides with the floor 9, changes its direction horizontally, and proceeds toward the central part of the target space S where the equipment 5 is arranged while accompanying the Coanda effect, forming a temperature stratification on the floor 9.

[0059] Regarding the air directed upward from the floor 9, in the case of the first embodiment, it was sucked from the suction port 7b of the clean air conditioning unit 7 installed in the target space S by the operation of the fan of the blower unit 2. However, in the case of this second embodiment, it is sucked out to the outside by the operation of the fan of the air conditioning unit 10 from the suction port 10a provided at the ceiling height. The air sucked out as return air is cooled by the cooling unit 6 of the air conditioning unit 10 and then supplied into the target space S as conditioned air from the supply port 10b. The conditioned air is drawn toward the blower unit 2 by the fan of the blower unit 2 installed below the supply port 10b, purified by the filter, and then blown downward from the blower unit 2.

[0060] Also in this second embodiment, by setting the height of the blower unit 2 with respect to the floor 9 and the blowing air velocity in the blower unit 2 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the same operational effects can be obtained. Further, in the case of this second embodiment, since the suction port 10a is provided at the tip in the direction of sending air as viewed from the blower unit 2, by driving the air flow also by suction from here, the reach distance of the clean air from the blower unit 2 can be further extended compared to the first embodiment.

[0061] Advantages of this second embodiment compared to the first embodiment include that since the cooling unit 6 is installed outdoors, measures against condensation and water leakage can be made more perfect, and the ease of installation of the air conditioning unit 10. When the cooling unit 6 is installed indoors as in the first embodiment, since the refrigerant is drawn from the external heat source machine into the indoor cooling unit 6, the design of the air conditioning equipment becomes complicated. However, when cooling by sending air out of the target space S as in this second embodiment, a package air conditioner can also be used as the air conditioning unit 10. In such a case, the cost related to the installation of the air conditioning equipment can be reduced. Regarding the arrangement of the air conditioning unit, which method to adopt may be appropriately determined according to the scale, area, ceiling height, and other conditions of the target space S.

[0062] In addition, regarding the arrangement of the blower unit 2, in the first and second embodiments, an example configuration is shown where two rows are arranged along the wall 8 at both ends of the target space S and air is supplied from there toward the center of the target space S. However, it is not limited to this. For example, a configuration where a blower unit is provided at the edge of one end of the target space and air is supplied from there toward the opposite wall (so to speak, a configuration like cutting the arrangements shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 in half) may be used. Or alternatively, a configuration where the blower units are arranged in three rows (or more rows) for example at both ends (along the walls) and the central region of the room may be used. In addition, the arrangement of the blower unit may be appropriately designed according to conditions such as the area and shape of the target space to be a clean room.

[0063] As described above, the air conditioning system for the clean room of each of the above embodiments includes a blower unit 2 in a partial area in a plan view of the target space S, and the blower unit 2 is arranged to send out purified air toward the lower collision surface (floor) 9, and the height of the blower unit 2 from the collision surface (floor) 9 at the air outlet is 0.5 m or more and 3.0 m or less, and the air outlet velocity in the blower unit 2 is 0.15 m / s or more and 1.5 m / s or less. In this way, by installing the blower unit 2 at a low position with respect to the floor 9, the reach distance of the air flow from the blower unit 2 can be increased by utilizing a strong Coanda effect. Also, it is possible to suppress the induction of air with a high air age located above the target space S.

[0064] The air conditioning system for the clean room of some embodiments includes a cooling unit 6 for cooling the air in the target space S above the blower unit 2. In this way, by utilizing the space above the blower unit 2, the cooling unit 6 can be arranged while avoiding the upper part of the device 5.

[0065] The air conditioning system for the clean room of some embodiments includes a cooling unit 6 for cooling the air sucked out from the target space S outside the target space S, and a suction port 10a for sucking out the air in the target space S and guiding it to the cooling unit 6, and a supply port 10b for supplying the conditioned air from the cooling unit 6 to the target space S. In this way, it is possible to more effectively suppress the influence of condensation and water leakage that may occur in the cooling unit 6, and it is possible to easily install the air conditioning unit 10 including the cooling unit 6.

[0066] In the air conditioning system for the clean room of each embodiment, the blower units 2 are arranged along the wall 8 of the target space S. In this way, air can be efficiently supplied from the blower units 2 at the edge to the devices 5 arranged in the target space S.

[0067] Therefore, according to each of the above embodiments, a clean room can be suitably realized with space savings and low cost.

[0068] Furthermore, the clean room air conditioning system of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Signs

[0069] 2 Air supply unit 6 Cooling unit 8 Wall 9 Floor 10a Suction port 10b Supply port S Target space

Claims

1. A clean room air conditioning system, comprising a blowing unit provided in a partial area in a plan view of a target space, wherein the blowing unit is arranged to send out purified air toward a lower collision surface, the height of an air outlet of the blowing unit with respect to the collision surface is 0.5 m or more and 3.0 m or less, and the air blowing speed in the blowing unit is 0.15 m / s or more and 1.5 m / s or less.

2. The clean room air conditioning system according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling unit above the blowing unit for cooling air in the target space.

3. The clean room air conditioning system according to claim 1, comprising a cooling unit outside the target space for cooling air sucked out from the target space, a suction port for sucking out air in the target space and guiding it to the cooling unit, and a supply port for supplying conditioned air from the cooling unit to the target space.

4. The clean room air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the blowing units are arranged along the wall of the target space. ​

Images