Clean room air conditioning system

Abstract

To provide an air conditioning system for a clean room, which can realize a space-saving, inexpensive and suitable clean room. [Solution] A blower unit is provided in a partial area of ​​the target space when viewed in a plan view, the blower unit is positioned to send purified air toward a downward collision surface, the height of the blower unit's outlet from the collision surface is 0.5 m or more and 3.0 m or less, and the blowing air speed of the blower unit is 0.15 m / s or more and 1.5 m / s or less.

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Figure 8 shows an example of an air conditioning system in a clean room. The target space S is configured as a ballroom-style industrial clean room, and multiple air blowing units 2 are installed on the ceiling 1. The air blowing units 2 suck air above the ceiling 1 into a housing using a fan, blow the air against a filter, and send the purified air that has passed through the filter to the target space S below.

[0003] The floor 3 of the target space S is constructed as a raised floor made of materials such as punching panels and gratings. The air sent from the blower unit 2 to the target space S passes through the openings in the floor 3 and escapes to the space under the floor as return air, is sent to the space above the ceiling through the return shaft 4 that connects the space under the floor with the ceiling, and is then supplied to the target space S from the blower unit 2 again.

[0004] In the target space S, which is an industrial clean room, equipment 5 such as production equipment is in operation, and the air in the room becomes warmer as it receives exhaust heat from the equipment 5, and is then released under the floor as return air. The warmed return air must be cooled to a temperature suitable for the operation of the equipment 5 before returning from under the floor to the ceiling space and being sent out again by the blower unit 2. In the example shown here, a cooling unit 6, which is a dry coil, is provided near the entrance of the return shaft 4, and is designed to cool the return air after it has passed through the floor 3 of the target space S.

[0005] 8, clean air is supplied to the target space S from the blower unit 2, while air is circulated throughout the entire facility including the target space S. In this type of air circulation, the blower unit 2 sends air generally downward into the target space S, but the airflow formed by this is not a unidirectional push-out flow, but a non-unidirectional airflow that dilutes and mixes dust generated in the room with the clean air.

[0006] It should be noted that the example shown here is a schematic diagram, and in an actual industrial clean room, in addition to the equipment shown in the diagram, further equipment such as an outdoor air conditioner and a humidifier are usually installed, but these are not shown here.

[0007] Prior art documents relating to this type of clean room air conditioning system include, for example, Patent Document 1 below. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-128618 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2023-146664 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] Incidentally, in the conventional clean rooms as described above, a certain amount of space is required around the target space S, partitioned off from the target space S, for the purposes of air circulation, maintenance, etc. Above the ceiling 1 on which the numerous blower units 2 are installed, a space above the ceiling is required to ensure air flow to the blower units 2 and to enable maintenance of the blower units 2, and below the floor 3 installed as a raised floor, a certain amount of underfloor space must be provided as an air flow path, a utility space, or a maintenance space. As a result, the area that can be used as a clean room is limited, and the entire facility becomes larger.

[0010] Furthermore, in order to widely supply the above-mentioned non-unidirectional airflow to the target space S, it is necessary to construct a wide-area ceiling 1 as a cell ceiling and place the blower units 2 therein. Depending on the configuration of the clean room, the blower units may be sparsely placed on the ceiling, but even in such cases, it is still necessary to construct a wide-area ceiling using the blower units and blank panels in order to place the blower units at regular intervals.

[0011] Furthermore, because negative pressure is generated in the space above the ceiling when the blower unit 2 is in operation, a mechanism to prevent dust from entering the space above the ceiling from the outside is required on the building structure side. Also, because the space below the floor is also an air flow path, dust prevention measures are also required here to maintain the cleanliness of the air, and these are factors that increase the cost of constructing the target space S as a clean room.

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

[0013] The present invention relates to a part of a region in a plan view of a target space. , multiple units arranged in a line Equipped with a blower unit, it cools the air in the target space or the air sucked out from the target space. and directing it toward the blower unit.The cooling unit includes: Under the condition that the entire surface of the portion below the blower unit is open in four horizontal directions, Purified Cooling The air, From the air outlet through the lower space that is completely open in four horizontal directions Downward Floor collision surface fart Arranged to send out In both cases, a wall is located in one of the four horizontal directions for the air sent out from the blower unit, and in the other two directions, there is a downward air flow sent out from another adjacent blower unit. Thus, the main flow of the air colliding with the collision surface flows along the floor of the target space due to the Coanda effect, The air outlet of the air blowing unit is arranged through a lower space that is fully open in four horizontal directions from the impact surface of the floor, Height of the blower unit's outlet with respect to the collision surface position is 0.5 m or more and 3.0 m or less, and the blowing air speed in the blowing unit is 0.25 This relates to an air conditioning system for a clean room, characterized in that the speed is between 1.5 m / s and 1.5 m / s. In the clean room air conditioning system of the present invention, the blower unit and the wall of the target space can be positioned so that at least a portion of the main flow of air blown out from the blower unit flows downward along the wall of the target space, and then flows further along the wall and floor of the target space.

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

[0015] In the clean room air conditioning system of the present invention, a cooling unit that cools the air sucked out of the target space is provided outside the target space, and it can also be provided with an intake port that sucks out air within the target space and directs it to the cooling unit, and a supply port that supplies conditioned air from the cooling unit to the target space.

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

[0017] According to the air conditioning system for a clean room of the present invention, a clean room can be realized in a space-saving and inexpensive manner. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic elevational view showing an example (first embodiment) of an air conditioning system for a clean room according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the air conditioning system of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a schematic elevational view showing another example (second embodiment) of an air conditioning system for a clean room according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the air conditioning system of FIG. [Diagram 5] 3 is a graph showing the results of calculations of the relationship between the height of the blower unit relative to the floor and the blowing air speed, and the ventilation performance index value (SVE-3) in the target space in the air conditioning system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. [Figure 6] This is a graph showing the results of calculations of the relationship between the height of the blower unit relative to the floor and the blowing air speed, and the air speed in the target space in the air conditioning system shown in Figures 1 and 2, and shows the results when the height of the blower unit relative to the floor is 0.4 m. [Figure 7] This is a graph showing the results of calculations of the relationship between the height of the blower unit relative to the floor and the blowing air speed, and the air speed in the target space in the air conditioning system shown in Figures 1 and 2, and shows the results when the height of the blower unit relative to the floor is 0.6 m. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational view showing an example of a conventional air conditioning system for a clean room. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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

[0020] 1 and 2 show an example (first embodiment) of an air conditioning system for a clean room according to the present invention, and in the figures, parts that are given the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 8 represent the same things.

[0021] In the air conditioning system of the first embodiment, a device including a filter-equipped air blowing unit 2 and a cooling unit 6 is configured as a floor-standing air conditioning unit (clean air conditioning unit) 7, which is arranged along 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 blowing units 2 are sparsely arranged over the entire target space S in a plan view, and air is supplied downward from there, but in this first embodiment, the air blowing units 2 are arranged only in a partial area (the walls at both ends) of the target space S in the plan view, 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-mounted frame, on which the blower unit 2 and the cooling unit 6, which is a dry coil, are supported at an appropriate height from the floor 9.

[0023] The blower unit 2 is a device called a fan filter unit (FFU) or the like that has a fan and a HEPA filter in a housing, and is configured to suck in air from above by driving the fan and blow it onto the filter, and then send the purified air downward. The installation height of the blower unit 2 in the clean unit air conditioning unit 7 is set considerably lower than the ceiling position, and is, for example, about 1 to 2 m above the floor 9 (the setting of the height of this blower unit 2 will be explained later). From this position, the blower unit 2 blows air downward toward the floor 9 below.

[0024] In the first embodiment, the position of the cooling unit 6 in the clean air conditioning unit 7 is directly above the blower unit 2, and is disposed at a height of about several tens of centimeters to about 1 m vertically from the blower unit 2. The upper part of the clean air conditioning unit 7 is configured as a box-shaped housing 7a having an internal space, and an inlet 7b and an outlet 7c are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the housing, respectively. The cooling unit 6 and the blower unit 2 are disposed at the inlet 7b and the outlet 7c, respectively. When the fan of the blower unit 2 is operated, air is sucked into the housing 7a from the inlet 7b, and the air in the housing 7a is sent out from the outlet 7c. The air is cooled by the cooling unit 6 as it passes through the inlet 7b, and is purified by the filter of the blower unit 2 as it passes through the outlet 7c.

[0025] At least a portion of the side of the lower part of the clean air conditioning unit 7 (the part below the blower unit 2) is open, and the air blown out from the blower unit 2 collides with the floor 9, changes direction along the floor 9, and is sent out sideways from the open part.

[0026] Unlike the floor 3 in the conventional example shown in FIG. 8, the floor 9 is not configured as a punching panel or grating. The floor 9 in this first embodiment is a structure in which the entire surface is closed in principle, and the space under the floor is not assumed to be an air passage, and the air flows only above the floor 9 (however, it is possible to provide holes or the like for passing some members such as cables in a part of the floor as necessary, as long as the air flow is not hindered). In addition, the floor 9 may be made a raised floor as necessary, and the space under the floor may be used as a utility space, but it does not need to be high enough for air to flow as in the conventional example shown in FIG. 8. On the upper surface of the floor 9, equipment 5 such as production equipment is arranged and operates. The equipment 5 is, for example, a production equipment that processes objects such as a wafer of a base material for forming a semiconductor integrated circuit, a substrate of a flat panel display, or a container for storing these items. The air sent out sideways from the clean unit air conditioning unit 7 flows toward the central area of ​​the target space S in which the equipment 5 is arranged.

[0027] In this specification, expressions such as "downward" and "sideways" are used in relation to air flow, etc., but these do not only refer to directions that exactly match the vertical or horizontal directions, but also refer to directions that can be generally considered to be "downward" or "sideways" in the normal sense, or in an air conditioning system such as the present invention. Furthermore, an expression such as "along the floor" does not only refer to a direction that exactly matches the surface of the floor, but also means that the direction is generally along the surface of the floor. Similarly, the expression "orthogonal" does not only mean that one direction and another direction form an exact right angle, but refers to an angle that can be practically expressed as "orthogonal."

[0028] The arrangement of the clean air conditioning units 7 will now be described. In this first embodiment, the clean air conditioning units 7 are arranged in two rows along the walls 8 at both ends of a room that is generally rectangular in plan view, as shown in Fig. 2. When viewed from each blower unit 2 provided in the clean air conditioning unit 7, in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the multiple blower units 2 are arranged in plan view, the wall 8 is located on one side, and the center 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 blown downward from the blower unit 2 toward the floor 9. The downward air collides with the floor 9 as a collision surface and changes direction along the surface of the floor 9. In the case of the first embodiment, the wall 8 is located in one of the four horizontal directions for the air blown from the blower unit 2, and the downward air flow from another adjacent blower unit 2 exists in the other two directions. Most of the air blown downward from the blower unit 2 and changes direction along the floor 9 is blocked by these in three directions and guided to the remaining direction, which is the desired direction (Note that, with regard to the indoor air A1 blown from the blower units 2 located at both ends of the blower units 2 arranged in a line, the walls 8 are located in two directions and there is a flow of indoor air A1 blown from the adjacent blower unit 2 in one direction, so that the air also flows in the remaining direction). Here, the "target direction" refers to the direction of the area to which air is desired to be supplied as viewed from the blower unit 2, and in the case of a clean room such as that of the first embodiment, the direction of the area in which the equipment 5 is located. In terms of the drawing, it is the right for the blower unit 2 of the clean air conditioning unit 7 arranged in the left column in the drawing, and the left for the blower unit 2 of the clean air conditioning unit 7 arranged in the right column.

[0030] The air that has been redirected in this way moves toward the center of the target space S where the equipment 5 is placed. At this time, the main flow of the air moves along the upper surface of the floor 9 due to the Coanda effect, while receiving the exhaust heat from the equipment 5. Some of the air, whose temperature has risen as a result, moves upward due to the density difference caused by the temperature difference, and a temperature stratification is formed on the floor 9 where the higher the position, the higher the temperature, and the lower the position, the lower the temperature.

[0031] In this first embodiment, the clean air conditioning unit 7 having the blower units 2 is disposed along the walls 8 on both sides of the room in a plan view, and the above-mentioned air movement occurs for each of the blower units 2 on both sides. The air flow along the floor 9 flows from positions along the walls 8 on both sides of the target space S to the opposite side of the walls 8 as viewed from the blower units 2, so that as viewed from the floor 9, air flows are formed from both ends of the target space S toward the center.

[0032] The main streams of air flowing along the floor 9 from both ends of the target space S collide with each other in the center, where the air starts to rise. The position where the air starts to rise is the desired direction as seen from the blower unit 2 that sends out the clean conditioned air.

[0033] An intake port 7b provided on the top of the clean air conditioning unit 7 is located at a height above the floor 9. Inside the housing 7a of the clean air conditioning unit 7, negative pressure is generated by the operation of the blower unit 2, so the air that has risen above the floor 9 is sucked into the space inside the housing 7a through the intake port 7b, and at that time, is cooled to an appropriate temperature by the cooling unit 6. The air 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] In the above description, the lower part of the clean air conditioning unit 7 (part below the blower unit 2) is assumed to be open on all four horizontal directions. However, as long as this part is open at least in the desired direction (the direction in which the air sent downward collides with the floor 9 and is then turned sideways and directed; in this first embodiment, the direction toward the central area of ​​the target space S on the opposite side of the wall 8) as seen from the blower unit 2 in a plan view, 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 (part above the blower unit 2), and an opening through which air flows may be provided at the height of the floor in the desired direction among the four sides of the housing. In this case, the air flow after flowing downward from the blower unit 2 and colliding with the floor 9 is blocked in three horizontal directions by the side walls of the housing, and is directed in the remaining one direction (the direction in which the opening is provided).

[0035] In addition, the above describes a configuration in which the bottom surface of the clean air conditioning unit 7 (the portion in contact with the floor 9) is an open surface, and the floor 9 is exposed directly below when viewed from the blower unit 2, but this is not limited to the above. For example, a bottom surface portion that conforms to 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 blower unit 2 may collide with the collision surface and change direction to a sideways direction.

[0036] In this way, in the air conditioning system of the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the air sent downward from the blower units 2 arranged along the wall 8 at the end of the target space S flows along the upper surface of the floor 9, collides with each other when it reaches the center, rises, is sucked into the housing 7a through the suction port 7b, and is sent downward again from the blower units 2. In this air circulation, a part of the air flowing along the upper surface of the floor 9 receives exhaust heat from the equipment 5 on the way before reaching the center, and is heated, becomes less dense, rises, and collides at the center and merges with the air flow rising above the floor 9. The air flow along the floor surface flows while maintaining dynamic pressure due to the Coanda effect, and is attracted by the air rising due to the exhaust heat, generating thermal driving. In this system, this phenomenon is also utilized to increase the reach of clean air. Specifically, depending on the assumed cleanliness and other conditions, if the distance from the blower unit 2 to the center of the target space S is approximately 10 m or more and 40 m or less, clean air can be suitably supplied into the target space S without increasing the average wind speed too much, and it is even more suitable if the distance is approximately 20 m or more and 25 m or less.

[0037] It should be noted that the example shown here is a schematic diagram, and in an actual industrial clean room, in addition to what is shown in the diagram, various other facilities such as outdoor air conditioners, humidifiers, and rails and transport vehicles for transporting products are usually installed as necessary. However, such configurations that are not directly related to the gist of the present invention have been omitted from the illustration here as appropriate.

[0038] The air conditioning system of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is advantageous in terms of space utilization efficiency compared to the conventional example shown in FIG. 8. In the conventional example of FIG. 8, in order to widely supply downflow to the target space S, a wide-area ceiling 1 is constructed as a cell ceiling, and a blower unit 2 is arranged thereon. In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, it is sufficient to install a floor-mounted clean air conditioning unit 7 in a part of the area, and a configuration in which the entire area in a 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 is also conceivable, but even in that case, it is sufficient to install a mechanism for suspension only in that part, and it is still not necessary to provide a cell ceiling in the entire target space S. And, since the height up to the ceiling slab can be used in the area where the clean air conditioning unit 7 is not installed, it is easier to arrange, for example, tall devices and equipment compared to the example of FIG. 8.

[0039] 8, a certain amount of height was required to use the space under the floor as an air flow path, but in this first embodiment, air flows above the floor 9, so from the standpoint of air circulation, the floor 9 does not need to be a raised floor, and even if it is a raised floor, it does not need to be very high. Regarding the floor, this first embodiment also makes effective use of the height of the space, making it possible to secure a large space that can be used as a clean room. In addition, since air is not circulated under the floor, no measures are required to maintain high air cleanliness there.

[0040] Furthermore, this first embodiment utilizes temperature stratification to efficiently cool the height close to the floor 9 of the target space S that requires air conditioning, which is advantageous in terms of air conditioning efficiency. In the conventional example shown in Fig. 8, air is supplied to the entire area of ​​the target space S by downflow, so it was necessary to adjust the temperature of the entire space below the ceiling 1 where the blower unit 2 is installed to an appropriate level, but in this first embodiment, the return air A2 is collected from a heat pool formed near the ceiling above the floor 9 where the equipment 5 is located, and then cooled. Since high-temperature air is the target for cooling, the efficiency of heat exchange in the cooling unit 6 is high.

[0041] Furthermore, the air in the room forms temperature stratification, and the heated air that needs to be temperature-adjusted automatically rises to a certain height at the intake port 7b due to density differences. This movement drives part of the air circulation described above, thereby also saving energy related to air transport.

[0042] In addition, in this first embodiment, the Coanda effect is effectively utilized to allow the air supplied from the blower unit 2 to reach long distances. The air supplied from the blower unit 2 to the target space S is first sent downward and collides with the floor 9. The colliding air is redirected along the upper surface of the floor 9, and thereafter, due to the Coanda effect, it reaches a long distance away from the clean air conditioning unit 7, and clean air can be efficiently delivered to equipment 5 that is far from the clean air conditioning unit 7. This makes it possible to fully achieve a cleanliness level of, for example, around class 6.

[0043] Here, an example of a system that performs air conditioning using a similar air flow utilizing the Coanda effect is the clean room air conditioning system disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, which is a related invention by the same applicant as the present application.

[0044] The system of the first embodiment is advantageous in the following respects compared to the system according to the above-mentioned Patent Document 2. First, since the blower unit 2 is installed at a lower position relative to the floor 9, even if air is blown out from the blower unit 2 at the same wind speed and volume, the airflow is blown onto the floor 9 more strongly, and a stronger Coanda effect can be obtained. The Coanda effect is a phenomenon in which a fluid flow behaves so as to maintain contact with nearby structures such as floors and walls. If the Coanda effect of the airflow on the floor 9 is strong, the distance over which the airflow flows without separating from the floor 9 becomes longer, and the reach of the airflow from the blower unit 2 in plan view can be increased. Even if the blower unit 2 is placed near a wall, purified air can be efficiently supplied to the equipment 5 located away from the wall 8.

[0045] Specifically, the height of the air outlet relative to the impact surface (floor 9 or a impact surface provided along the floor 9) and the blowing air speed in the blowing unit 2 are set, for example, as follows, taking into account the Coanda effect and other conditions described above. Height of the air outlet (height of the lower end of the air blowing unit 2 relative 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) -Blowout air speed: 0.15m / s or more, 1.5m / s or less (preferably 0.25m / s or more, 1.5m / s or less)

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

[0047] According to this graph, if the height of the air outlet (the lower end of the air blower unit 2) relative to the impact 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 blower unit 2 in the farthest area is less than 0.9 regardless of whether the blowing air speed of the air blower 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 ventilation performance in clean rooms, and it has been demonstrated that good ventilation performance can actually be obtained under these conditions.

[0048] If the blowing wind speed exceeds 1.5 m / s, there is a concern that the noise generated by the blowing unit 2 and the required power may exceed the allowable value, and the average wind speed in the room may become too high, so the blowing wind speed is preferably 1.5 m / s or less. Also, under conditions where the blowing wind speed is below 0.25 m / s, the above-mentioned Coanda effect may not be obtained sufficiently, and sufficient cleanliness may not be achieved in the farthest area. From the above, in a clean room such as that shown in Figures 1 and 2, it is considered appropriate to set the blowing wind speed of the blowing unit 2 to a range of about 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] 6 and 7 show the average wind speed in each area in the room when the height of the air outlet is set to 0.4 m and 0.6 m, respectively. The indoor areas are divided according to the distance in a plan view from the blower unit 2, and the average wind speed was calculated for each area of ​​0-5 m, 5-10 m, 10-15 m, 15-20 m, and 20-25 m, and this was plotted on the horizontal axis. Four types of blown air speed from the blower unit 2 were set: 0.25 m / s, 0.5 m / s, 1.0 m / s, and 1.5 m / s.

[0050] According to the graph in Fig. 6, when the height of the air outlet is set to 0.4 m, some areas may have an average air speed exceeding 1.0 m / s depending on the setting of the air speed. In the case of a clean room, it is desirable for the average air speed not to exceed 1.0 m / s as a guideline, but if the height of the blower unit 2 is too low, the air flow that collides with the floor 9 and is redirected horizontally will exceed the average of 1.0 m / s and flow too fast.

[0051] On the other hand, in the graph of FIG. 7 showing the results when the height of the air outlet is set to 0.6 m, the average air speed is below 1.0 m / s in all areas at all blowing air speeds, and falls within the range of appropriate air speeds in a clean room. For this reason, it is preferable to set the lower limit of the height of the blower unit 2 to about 0.5 m. On the other hand, if the blower unit 2 is installed too high above the floor surface, problems will arise such as the overall height of the clean air conditioning unit 7 becoming significantly high, or the blower unit 2 needing to be suspended from the ceiling. For this reason, it is preferable to set the upper limit of the height of the blower unit 2 to about 3.0 m from the floor 9, more preferably about 2.0 m.

[0052] When the height of the blower unit 2 is set as described above, it is also possible to obtain the advantage that air with a high air age is less likely to be drawn into the blower outlet 7c. In particular, in the case of an air conditioning system intended for a clean room, 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 order to maintain cleanliness. In the air circulation as shown in FIG. 1, the air with a low air age (which has been supplied from the blower unit 2 for a short time) is supplied to the lower part of the target space S, and air with an increased air age is collected at the upper part of the target space S and sucked in from the inlet port 7b. That is, since air with a high air age is collected at the upper part of the target space S, it is desirable that the flow of air blown out from the blower unit 2 at the blower outlet 7c does not attract this air as much as possible. Here, in this first embodiment, the height of the blower outlet 7c equipped with the blower unit 2 is set to a height of, for example, about 1.5 to 2 m from the floor 9. This is considerably lower than the case where the blower outlet is provided at the height of 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, a hanging wall is provided near the air outlet as necessary to suppress air induction. However, by setting the installation height of the blower unit 2 as in this first embodiment, it is possible to suppress the induction of surrounding air at the air outlet 7c while eliminating the need for a structure such as a hanging wall.

[0053] Furthermore, if the blower unit 2 is provided at a low position, the cooling unit 6 can be provided in the space above it. In a clean room, when a cooling unit is provided in a target space, the cooling unit is configured as a dry coil so that condensation does not occur on the surface. However, in the event that condensation occurs due to deviation from a normal operating state or water leakage occurs due to damage, installation above expensive equipment such as semiconductor production equipment is sometimes avoided. In the first embodiment, the blower unit 2 is provided at the middle part in the vertical direction of the floor-standing clean air conditioning unit 7, and the cooling unit 6 is provided above it, so that the equipment 5 is not placed below the cooling unit 6, and 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 ceiling of the building, it is necessary to shift the installation position of the cooling unit in a plan view from the blower unit, and as a result, it may be necessary to place the cooling unit at a position above the equipment. However, if the position of the blower unit 2 is set low as in the first embodiment, the space above it can be used to secure the installation space for the cooling unit 6, and it is possible to avoid placing the cooling unit above the equipment 5.

[0054] Furthermore, when the blower unit 2 is installed at a low position as in this first embodiment, there is no need to suspend the blower unit 2 from the ceiling, and the blower unit 2 can be installed as part of a floor-standing unit (clean air conditioning unit 7), thereby reducing the effort and cost required for installing the blower unit 2.

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

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

[0057] The blower unit 2 is disposed in the same position as in the first embodiment, via a floor-standing frame.

[0058] In this second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, clean air is supplied downward from the blower unit 2, collides with the floor 9, turns sideways, and travels toward the center of the target space S in which the equipment 5 is located, accompanied by the Coanda effect, forming a temperature stratification on the floor 9.

[0059] In the first embodiment, the air flowing above the floor 9 is sucked in through the intake port 7b of the clean air-conditioning unit 7 installed in the target space S by the operation of the fan of the air-conditioning unit 2, but in the second embodiment, the air is sucked out of the room through the intake port 10a installed at the height of the ceiling by the operation of the fan of the air-conditioning unit 10. The air sucked out as return air is cooled by the cooling unit 6 of the air-conditioning unit 10 and then supplied as conditioned air from the supply port 10b into the target space S. The conditioned air is sucked into the air-conditioning unit 2 by the fan of the air-conditioning unit 2 installed below the supply port 10b, purified by a filter, and then blown out downward from the air-conditioning unit 2.

[0060] In the second embodiment, similar effects can be obtained by setting the height of the blower unit 2 relative to the floor 9 and the blowing air speed of the blower unit 2 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, since the suction inlet 10a is provided ahead of the blower unit 2 in the intended direction of air blowing, the air flow can be driven by suction from this port, and the reach of the clean air from the blower unit 2 can be further extended compared to the first embodiment.

[0061] The advantages of the second embodiment compared to the first embodiment include that the cooling unit 6 is installed outdoors, so that measures against condensation and water leakage can be more thoroughly taken, and that the air conditioning unit 10 can be easily installed. When the cooling unit 6 is installed indoors as in the first embodiment, the design of the air conditioning equipment becomes complicated because the refrigerant is drawn from an external heat source to the cooling unit 6 inside the room. However, when air is sent outside the target space S for cooling as in the second embodiment, a packaged air conditioner can be used as the air conditioning unit 10, and in this case, the cost of installing the air conditioning equipment can be reduced. Regarding the arrangement of the air conditioning unit, which method should be adopted can be appropriately determined depending on the size, area, ceiling height, and other conditions of the target space S.

[0062] In the first and second embodiments, the arrangement of the blower units 2 is illustrated as being arranged in two rows along the walls 8 at both ends of the target space S, from which air is supplied toward the center of the target space S. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be arranged, for example, by providing a blower unit near the wall at one end of the target space, from which air is supplied toward the wall on the opposite side (in other words, a configuration that is exactly half of the arrangement shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3). Alternatively, the blower units may be arranged in a total of three rows (or more rows) at both ends (by the walls) and in the central area of ​​the room. The arrangement of the blower units may be appropriately designed according to conditions such as the area and shape of the target space to be the clean room.

[0063] As described above, the air conditioning system for the clean room in each of the above-mentioned embodiments includes the air blowing unit 2 in a partial area in a plan view of the target space S, and the air blowing unit 2 is arranged to send out purified air toward the collision surface (floor) 9 below, and the height of the air outlet of the air blowing unit 2 from the collision surface (floor) 9 is 0.5 m or more and 3.0 m or less, and the blowing air speed of the air blowing unit 2 is 0.15 m / s or more and 1.5 m / s or less. In this way, by installing the air blowing unit 2 at a lower position relative to the floor 9, it is possible to increase the reach of the airflow from the air blowing unit 2 by utilizing a strong Coanda effect. In addition, it is also possible to suppress the attraction of air with a high air age located above the target space S.

[0064] Some of the clean room air conditioning systems of the embodiments include a cooling unit 6 for cooling the air in the target space S, above the blower unit 2. In this way, the cooling unit 6 can be arranged using the space above the blower unit 2 and avoiding being located above the equipment 5.

[0065] Some of the embodiments of the clean room air conditioning system include a cooling unit 6 outside the target space S that cools the air sucked out from the target space S, and also include an intake port 10a that sucks out the air in the target space S and leads it to the cooling unit 6, and a supply port 10b that supplies the conditioned air from the cooling unit 6 to the target space S. In this way, the effects of condensation and water leakage that may occur in the cooling unit 6 can be more effectively suppressed, and the air conditioning unit 10 equipped with the cooling unit 6 can be easily installed.

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

[0067] Therefore, according to each of the above embodiments, a clean room can be realized in a space-saving and inexpensive manner.

[0068] Incidentally, the air conditioning system for a clean room according to the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 2 Blower unit 6 Cooling Unit 8. Wall 9 Beds 10a Intake port 10b Supply port S Target space

Claims

1. A plurality of air blowing units are arranged linearly in a partial area of ​​a target space in a plan view, A cooling unit is provided for cooling air in the target space or air sucked out from the target space and directing the air toward the blower unit, The air blowing unit is arranged to send purified cooling air from the air outlet through a lower space that is fully open in four horizontal directions to a collision surface on the floor below under the condition that all sides of the portion below the air blowing unit are open in all four horizontal directions, and a wall is located in one of the four horizontal directions for the air sent out from the air blowing unit, and a downward air flow sent out from another adjacent air blowing unit is present in the other two directions, so that the main stream of the air that collides with the collision surface flows along the floor of the target space due to the Coanda effect; The air outlet of the air blowing unit is disposed through a lower space that is fully open in four horizontal directions from a collision surface of a floor, and the height position of the air outlet of the air blowing unit with respect to the collision surface is 0.5 m or more and 3.0 m or less; The blowing air speed of the blowing unit is 0.25 m / s or more and 1.5 m / s or less. A clean room air conditioning system characterized by:

2. The air blowing unit and the wall of the target space are arranged so that at least a part of the main flow of air blown out from the air blowing unit flows downward along the wall of the target space and then further flows along the wall and floor of the target space.

2. The air conditioning system for a clean room according to claim 1 .

3. A cooling unit for cooling the air in the target space is provided above the air blowing unit.

2. The air conditioning system for a clean room according to claim 1 .

4. A cooling unit for cooling the air sucked out from the target space is provided outside the target space, An intake port that draws air from within a target space and guides it to the cooling unit; A supply port for supplying conditioned air from the cooling unit to a target space.

2. The air conditioning system for a clean room according to claim 1 .

5. The air blowing units are arranged along the walls of the target space.

2. The air conditioning system for a clean room according to claim 1 .

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