Humidifier and method for conditioning air
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing humidifiers for test chambers face challenges in maintaining consistent relative air humidity under quickly changing conditions, as they are either expensive to produce for varying chamber sizes or lack precise control over humidity and temperature, leading to contamination and limited flexibility in test cycles, especially during temperature changes below freezing.
Innovation Solution
A modular humidifier system with a temperature-controlled water bath, featuring a heating device and a cooling device, along with a ventilation system that generates air bubbles, allowing for precise control of air humidity and temperature, enabling aerosol-free air delivery and dehumidification, and is designed to be cost-effective and adaptable to various test chamber sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tub-like indentation humidifier is used in the test space, then humidification function is provided, but the water absorbs contaminants from specimens leading to corrosion of heating elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the water bath from the test space and places it in a separate container positioned outside the test chamber. This separation prevents water from contacting specimens and absorbing contaminants, thereby eliminating corrosion of heating elements while maintaining the humidification function through controlled water vapor introduction.
2Productivity
If a large amount of water is used in the container, then humidification capacity is increased, but the humidification control becomes inert and cannot respond quickly to temperature or humidity changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the water bath into multiple smaller compartments or uses multiple smaller containers instead of one large water bath. This segmentation reduces the total thermal mass while maintaining sufficient humidification capacity, allowing faster response to temperature and humidity changes without sacrificing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic control of the water bath temperature and volume, allowing the system to adjust the amount of water and heating power in real-time based on test requirements. This enables quick response during test cycles while maintaining adequate humidification capacity when needed.
3Manufacturing precision
If humidifiers are customized for different test chamber sizes, then precise humidity control is achieved, but production cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal container-based humidifier system that can be adapted to different test chamber sizes through modular configuration. The same basic container design with adjustable parameters (water volume, heating power, positioning) can serve various chamber sizes, eliminating the need for custom manufacturing while maintaining precise humidity control through scalable deployment.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If water is discharged from the test space during a test cycle, then contamination is prevented, but the test cycle is influenced and interrupted
Solution Approach 1:
By extracting the water bath from the test space into a separate external container, the system eliminates the need to discharge water during test cycles. The separated water bath can be independently managed, maintained, and discharged without affecting test continuity, thus preventing contamination while preserving test cycle integrity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves a high temporal consistency of relative air humidity and quick changes in dew point temperature, allowing for precise control of test conditions, reducing contamination risks, and enabling efficient dehumidification, while being cost-effective and modularly scalable.
Implementation Method 1
a heating device (15) of a temperature-control system (14) for controlling a temperature of the water bath (13)
Implementation Method 2
a cooling device (16) of the temperature-control system (14)
Implementation Method 3
a ventilation system (17) for generating air bubbles (18) in the water bath (13)
Implementation Method 4
to direct air in the test space which rise as air bubbles in the water bath
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a humidifier (10) for a test chamber, in particular a climate chamber or the like, as well as to a method for conditioning air of a test space of a test chamber, said humidifier comprising a container (11) having a container interior (12) for receiving a water bath (13), a heating device (15) of a temperature-control system (14) for controlling the temperature of the water bath, and a ventilation system (17) for generating air bubbles (18) in the water bath, a container opening (28) being formed in the container above the water bath in order to connect the container interior to a test space of a test chamber, said humidifier comprising a cooling device (16) of the temperature-control system.