air conditioning unit

Abstract

The present invention provides an air conditioning system that can supply low-dew-point air to the room in an energy-saving manner, even when detachment is performed using only the air after purging. [Solution] The air conditioning unit 1 includes a first duct 11 with one end connected to an air intake port 10 and the other end connected to a room 20, a second duct 12 with one end connected to a branching point b on the first duct 11 and the other end connected to an exhaust port 30, a dehumidification section 110 located downstream of branching point b of the first duct 11, a purge section 120 located in the second duct 12, and a regeneration section 130 located downstream of the purge section 120 of the second duct 12, and comprises a dehumidification rotor 100 that rotates in the order of dehumidification section 110, purge section 120, and regeneration section 130, and a heater 200 that heats the air supplied to the regeneration section 130. The regeneration section 130 is divided into a plurality of small regeneration sections in the circumferential direction. The heater 200 is provided at the inlet of each of the plurality of small regeneration sections.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner that supplies low dew point air into a room.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a dehumidifying device that uses an adsorption rotor (dehumidifying rotor) to supply ultra-low humidity air to a dry room. The dehumidifying rotor is partitioned into four regions: a main dehumidification region, a pre-dehumidification region, a regeneration treatment region, and a purge treatment region. The main dehumidification region, the pre-dehumidification region, the regeneration treatment region, and the purge treatment region are arranged in this order from the upstream side in the rotation direction. For the desorption of the moisture adsorbed on the dehumidifying rotor in the regeneration treatment region, mixed air obtained by mixing the air after purge, the used high-temperature regeneration gas from the regeneration treatment region, and outside air is used.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007] One aspect of this disclosure relates to an air conditioning system for supplying low-dew-point air into a room. The air conditioning system includes a first duct, one end of which is connected to an air intake and the other end to a room; a second duct, one end of which is connected to a branch point on the first duct and the other end to an exhaust port; a dehumidification section located downstream of the branch point of the first duct; a purge section located in the second duct; and a regeneration section located downstream of the purge section of the second duct. The system includes a dehumidification rotor that rotates in the order of the dehumidification section, the purge section, and the regeneration section; and a heater provided in the second duct for heating the air supplied to the regeneration section. The regeneration section is divided into a plurality of sub-regeneration sections in the circumferential direction. The second duct is arranged so as to pass through the plurality of sub-regeneration sections in order from the side closest to the purge section. The heater is provided at the inlet of each of the plurality of sub-regeneration sections. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, the dehumidifying rotor has a dehumidifying section located downstream of a branching point in a first duct, one end of which is connected to an air intake and the other end to a room; a purging section located in a second duct, one end of which is connected to a branching point on the first duct and the other end to an exhaust port; and a regeneration section located downstream of the purging section in the second duct, and rotates in the order of dehumidifying section, purging section, and regeneration section. The regeneration section is further divided into a plurality of small regeneration sections in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, heaters provided in the second duct to heat the air supplied to the regeneration section are provided at the inlet of each of the plurality of small regeneration sections. As a result, even when dehumidifying the dehumidifying rotor using only the purged air, low-dew-point air can be supplied to the room in an energy-saving manner. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the amount of water removed during the regeneration section. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating a specific example of heating energy generated by a heater. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The air conditioning system according to the embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In addition, elements common to each figure are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0011] 1. Example of an air conditioning system configuration Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the air conditioning system 1. The air conditioning system 1 supplies low-dew-point air to the low-dew-point room 20. The low-dew-point room 20 is controlled to maintain a dew-point temperature range of, for example, -50°C DP to -40°C DP. Examples of low-dew-point rooms 20 include dry rooms and clean rooms. The low-dew-point room 20 is also simply referred to as the room 20.

[0012] The air conditioning unit 1 includes a first duct 11, a second duct 12, a dehumidifying rotor 100, a plurality of heaters 200 (also simply referred to as heaters 200), a first fan 40, and a second fan 50. One end of the first duct 11 is connected to an air intake 10, and the other end is connected to the room 20. One end of the second duct 12 is connected to a branching point b on the first duct 11, and the other end is connected to an exhaust port 30.

[0013] The dehumidifying rotor 100 generates air to be supplied to the low dew point chamber 20 (room 20). The dehumidifying rotor 100 has a dehumidifying section 110, a purging section 120, and a regeneration section 130. The dehumidifying section 110 is located downstream of branching point b of the first duct 11. The dehumidifying section 110 adsorbs moisture contained in the pre-cooled air flowing into the air inlet 10 and discharges the dehumidified air (also called first dehumidified air) toward the room 20. The pre-cooled air may be, for example, cooled air obtained by cooling the outside air, return air from the room 20, or a mixed air containing cooled air and return air.

[0014] The purge section 120 is located in the second duct 12. The purge section 120 adsorbs moisture contained in the pre-cooling air flowing into the second duct 12 and discharges the dehumidified air (also referred to as second dehumidified air) toward the exhaust port 30. The purge section 120 is configured such that the airflow rate of the pre-cooling air flowing into the purge section 120 is less than the airflow rate of the pre-cooling air flowing into the dehumidification section 110.

[0015] The regeneration section 130 is located downstream of the purge section 120 of the second duct 12. The regeneration section 130 dehydrates the second dehumidified air generated in the purge section 120 by heating it with a heater 200 to remove adsorbed moisture. The regeneration section 130 discharges the air containing the dehydrated moisture toward the exhaust port 30.

[0016] The heater 200 is installed in the second duct 12 and heats the air supplied to the regeneration section 130.

[0017] The first fan 40 is installed in the first duct 11 and sends the pre-cooled air flowing into the air intake 10 toward the room 20. The first fan 40 also sends the pre-cooled air toward the purge section 120 via the second duct 12. The second fan 50 is installed in the second duct 12 and sends the air inside the second duct 12 toward the exhaust port 30. The second fan 50 is also simply referred to as fan 50.

[0018] The dehumidification rotor 100 has a rotation mechanism that rotates in one direction, and rotates in the order of the dehumidification section 110, the purge section 120, and the regeneration section 130. The rotation mechanism is driven and controlled by, for example, a controller (not shown).

[0019] Here, the details of the regeneration section 130 will be described. The regeneration section 130 is partitioned into a plurality of small regeneration sections in the circumferential direction. The number of the plurality of small regeneration sections is determined such that the air volume required for moisture desorption in the purge section 120 is the same as the air volume required for moisture desorption in each small regeneration section.

[0020] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of small regeneration sections are composed of four small regeneration sections. The four small regeneration sections include a first small regeneration section 131, a second small regeneration section 132, a third small regeneration section 133, and a fourth small regeneration section 134. The first small regeneration section 131 is adjacent to the purge section 120, the second small regeneration section 132 is adjacent to the first small regeneration section 131, the third small regeneration section 133 is adjacent to the second small regeneration section 132, and the fourth small regeneration section 134 is adjacent to the third small regeneration section 133. As shown in FIG. 1, the fourth small regeneration section 134 is also adjacent to the dehumidification section 110. Also, each small regeneration section and the purge section 120 may be in the same area. For example, when the area of the regeneration section 130 is 90° and the regeneration section 130 is composed of four small regeneration sections, the area of each small regeneration section and the area of the purge section 120 may both be 22.5°. By making the area of each small regeneration section and the area of the purge section 120 the same, it becomes possible to efficiently send the air in the second duct 12 to the downstream side with one second fan 50.

[0021] The second duct 12 is provided so as to pass through a plurality of small regeneration sections in order from the side closer to the purge section 120. Specifically, after passing through the first small regeneration section 131, the second duct 12 passes through the second small regeneration section 132 (see A1 shown in FIG. 1). After passing through the second small regeneration section 132, the second duct 12 passes through the third small regeneration section 133 (see A2 shown in FIG. 1). After passing through the third small regeneration section 133, the second duct 12 passes through the fourth small regeneration section 134 (see A3 shown in FIG. 1). Thus, the second duct 12 is configured in a spiral shape.

[0022] The heater 200 is provided at the entrance of each of the plurality of small regeneration sections. Specifically, a first heater 201 is provided at the entrance of the first small regeneration section 131, a second heater 202 is provided at the entrance of the second small regeneration section 132, a third heater 203 is provided at the entrance of the third small regeneration section 133, and a fourth heater 204 is provided at the entrance of the fourth small regeneration section 134.

[0023] The first heater 201 heats the air at the entrance of the first small regeneration section 131, that is, the second dehumidified air generated in the purge section 120. The air heated by the first heater 201 is referred to as the first high-temperature air. The second heater 202 heats the air at the entrance of the second small regeneration section 132. The air heated by the second heater 202 is referred to as the second high-temperature air. The third heater 203 heats the air at the entrance of the third small regeneration section 133. The air heated by the third heater 203 is referred to as the third high-temperature air. The fourth heater 204 heats the air at the entrance of the fourth small regeneration section 134. The air heated by the fourth heater 204 is referred to as the fourth high-temperature air. Incidentally, all of the first heater 201, the second heater 202, the third heater 203, and the fourth heater 204 may be set to output at the same temperature, for example. The output value of each heater is controlled by a controller.

[0024] The first mini-regeneration section 131 discharges first high-temperature, high-humidity air, obtained by desorbing moisture with first high-temperature air heated by first heater 201, toward the second mini-regeneration section 132. The second mini-regeneration section 132 discharges second high-temperature, high-humidity air, obtained by desorbing moisture with second high-temperature air heated by second heater 202, toward the third mini-regeneration section 133. The third mini-regeneration section 133 discharges third high-temperature, high-humidity air, obtained by desorbing moisture with third high-temperature air heated by third heater 203, toward the fourth mini-regeneration section 134. The fourth mini-regeneration section 134 discharges fourth high-temperature, high-humidity air, obtained by desorbing moisture with fourth high-temperature air heated by fourth heater 204, toward the exhaust port 30. As a result, a sufficient amount of moisture can be desorbed in the regeneration section 130 using only the air after purging. Details of the amount of moisture desorbed in the regeneration section 130 will be described later.

[0025] The second fan 50 may be installed at an intermediate point in the second duct 12. For example, the second fan 50 may be installed in the second duct 12 between the outlet side of the second small regeneration section 132 and the inlet side of the third small regeneration section 133. This allows the air in the second duct 12 to be efficiently sent downstream.

[0026] 2. Examples of water desorption amounts Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the amount of moisture desorbed in the regeneration section 130. Figure 2 shows a psychrometric chart with absolute humidity on the vertical axis and dry-bulb humidity on the horizontal axis. The amount of moisture desorbed is generally calculated as the product of the airflow rate G and the absolute humidity difference Δx (G × Δx). The airflow rate G is the airflow rate of the air flowing into the regeneration section 130, i.e., the airflow rate required for moisture desorbing in the regeneration section 130. The absolute humidity difference Δx is the difference between the absolute humidity of the air after heating the purged air to desorb moisture from the regeneration section 130 and the absolute humidity of the air after passing through the purge section 120. As shown in Figure 2, the absolute humidity is maintained when the purged air is heated. In this case, the dry-bulb temperature rises. On the other hand, the absolute humidity rises when moisture is desorbed after heating.

[0027] The absolute humidity difference Δx increases in proportion to the number of desorption cycles. For example, as shown in Figure 2, when the regeneration section 130 is composed of one unit, similar to the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the absolute humidity difference Δx is denoted as absolute humidity difference Δx1, and when the regeneration section 130 is composed of multiple small regeneration sections, the absolute humidity difference Δx is denoted as absolute humidity difference Δx2. In this case, in the conventional configuration with one regeneration section 130, the number of desorption cycles is one, whereas in the case of multiple small regeneration sections with multiple regeneration sections, the number of desorption cycles is multiple. Therefore, the absolute humidity difference Δx2 becomes larger than the absolute humidity difference Δx1.

[0028] According to this embodiment, the amount of moisture desorbed is greater than in the conventional configuration. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to desorb moisture using only a small amount of air after purging. Since outside air is not required for moisture desorption in the regeneration section 130, it is possible to reduce the heating energy of the heater 200. Moreover, the airflow rate of the pre-cooling air passing through the purge section 120 is the same as the airflow rate of the air passing through each small regeneration section. In this case, even when desorption of moisture is performed using only a small amount of air after purging, it is not necessary to generate a large amount of pre-cooling air for purging, thus reducing cooling energy. Therefore, even when desorption of moisture adsorbed on the dehumidifying rotor 100 is performed using only the air after purging, low-dew-point air can be supplied to the room 20 in an energy-saving manner.

[0029] 3. Examples of heating energy from heaters Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a specific example of heating energy from heater 200. Specifically, Figure 3 shows a comparative example of the output value of heater 200 in the conventional configuration described above and the output value of heater 200 in this embodiment. Furthermore, Figure 3 shows specific examples of the output value of heater 200 in summer and winter.

[0030] For example, consider a summer scenario where the outside air temperature is 33.4°C, the relative humidity is 58%RH, and the temperature at the air intake 10 is 12°C, with a relative humidity of 95%RH. In this case, when the dew point temperature of the room 20 is set to -50°CDP (low dew point), the output value of the heater 200 is 13kW in the conventional configuration, compared to 12kW in this embodiment. Even when the dew point temperature of the room 20 is set to a medium dew point (e.g., -30°CDP), the output value of the heater 200 is lower in this embodiment than in the conventional configuration, as shown in Figure 3.

[0031] As another example, consider the case in winter when the outside air temperature is -1.2°C and the relative humidity is 38%RH, and the temperature of the air intake 10 is also -1.2°C and the relative humidity is 38%RH. In this case, when the dew point temperature of the room 20 is set to -50°CDP, the output value of the heater 200 is 10kW in the conventional configuration, while in this embodiment it is 4kW. Even when the dew point temperature of the room 20 is set to a moderate dew point (e.g., -30°CDP), the output value of the heater 200 is lower in the configuration according to this embodiment than in the conventional configuration, as shown in Figure 3.

[0032] Thus, in both summer and winter, the output value of the heater 200 is lower in this embodiment than in the conventional configuration. As a result, in this embodiment, by desorption of moisture using only a small amount of air after purging, it is possible to suppress the heating energy of the heater 200. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 1…Air conditioning unit, 10…Air intake, 11…First duct, 12…Second duct, 20…Low dew point chamber, 30…Exhaust port, 40…First fan, 50…Second fan, 100…Dehumidifying rotor, 110…Dehumidifying section, 120…Purge section, 130…Regeneration section, 131…First small regeneration section, 132…Second small regeneration section, 133…Third small regeneration section, 134…Fourth small regeneration section, 200…Heater, 201…First heater, 202…Second heater, 203…Third heater, 204…Fourth heater

Claims

1. An air conditioning system that supplies low-dew-point air into a room, A first duct, one end of which is connected to an air intake and the other end of which is connected to the room, A second duct, one end of which is connected to a branching point on the first duct and the other end of which is connected to an exhaust port, The dehumidifying rotor has a dehumidifying section located downstream of the branching point of the first duct, a purging section located in the second duct, and a regeneration section located downstream of the purging section of the second duct, and rotates in the order of the dehumidifying section, the purging section, and the regeneration section, The second duct is provided with a heater that heats the air supplied to the regeneration section, The aforementioned regeneration section is divided into a plurality of smaller regeneration sections in the circumferential direction. The second duct is provided so as to pass through the plurality of small regeneration sections in order from the side closest to the purge section. The heater is provided at the entrance of each of the multiple small regeneration sections. An air conditioning system characterized by the following features.

2. An air conditioning system according to claim 1, The multiple mini-playback sections consist of four mini-playback sections. The four mini-playback sections mentioned above are: A first small regeneration section adjacent to the aforementioned purge section, A second mini playback section adjacent to the first mini playback section, A third small playback section adjacent to the second small playback section, A fourth small playback section adjacent to the third small playback section, including An air conditioning system characterized by the following features.

3. An air conditioning system according to claim 1, The second duct is further provided with a fan that sends the air inside the second duct toward the exhaust port. An air conditioning system characterized by the following features.

4. An air conditioning system according to claim 2, The system further includes a fan provided in the second duct between the outlet side of the second small regeneration section and the inlet side of the third small regeneration section, which sends the air inside the second duct toward the exhaust port. An air conditioning system characterized by the following features.

5. An air conditioning system according to claim 1, The number of the aforementioned sub-regeneration sections is determined such that the airflow required for dewatering in the purge section is the same as the airflow required for dewatering in each sub-regeneration section. An air conditioning system characterized by the following features.

6. An air conditioning system according to claim 1, The second duct is configured in a spiral shape. An air conditioning system characterized by the following features.

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