JPH043836A - High humidity atmosphere generating device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a high-humidity atmosphere generating device useful for creating a high-humidity state or controlling humidity in the cultivation of living things, creating a living environment, etc.

[Prior Art] In order to create a living environment or to grow and observe animals and plants, there are cases where a high humidity environment with a relative humidity of 80% or more or a humidity-controlled environment is required.

In such cases, moisture is heated and evaporated in a chamber filled with gas using a heating means such as a heater to generate high-humidity gas, which is then released from the chamber into the desired space to humidify it. Conventionally, a method has been used in which moisture is heated by a heating means such as a heater and evaporated directly into a desired space to humidify it.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the conventional method that utilizes the evaporation of moisture by the heating means, the temperature rise in the desired space where the humidity caused by the heat generation by the heating means is controlled. It happens.

Therefore, in order to create a high humidity environment without temperature rise or to perform humidity control, it is necessary to install large-scale equipment such as a cooling link device.

In addition, the equipment used to adjust indoor humidity in the living environment must be small, highly safe without the use of heaters, and economical with low electricity consumption. It is required to have the following characteristics.

An object of the present invention is to provide a high-humidity atmosphere generating device that solves the above-mentioned problems with the high-humidity atmosphere generating device and satisfies the required characteristics for a device used for creating a living environment and adjusting indoor humidity. It is in.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The high humidity atmosphere generating device of the present invention includes: A) a water storage tank, a gas passage, and a microporous hollow fiber, and the gas passage is connected to the water storage tank. B) a gas supply section for supplying gas to the gas passage; C) a gas supply section for supplying gas to the gas passage; The present invention is characterized by having a filter section provided so that the high humidity gas discharged from the passage is purified by filtration processing.

The high-humidity atmosphere generating device of the present invention has the advantage that purified high-humidity gas with a relative humidity of 80% or more can be supplied without using a heating means.

Further, when no heating means is used, by adopting the configuration of the present invention described above, it is possible to provide an economical high-humidity atmosphere generating device that is small, highly safe, and suppresses electricity consumption.

[Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the high humidity atmosphere generating device of the present invention.

This device consists of a high humidity atmosphere generating section A and a filter section B.
and a gas supply section C.

In the water storage tank 2 of the high humidity atmosphere generation part A, a large number of microporous hollow fibers 1 are stored in a loop shape, which are focused and fixed by a fixing member 6 made of adhesive or the like, with both ends kept open. ing.

One open end of the microporous hollow fiber 1 is opened toward the inlet 5, and the other open end is opened toward the outlet 4, so that water storage W! A gas passage is formed having a portion partitioned by the water filled in the inside of the tube and the membrane wall of the microporous hollow fiber.

Fixing part and water storage by fixing member 6 of microporous hollow fiber 1! 2
are connected by two cylindrical members 7, and each is joined so as to be airtight with the outside by a joining method such as adhesion using an adhesive.

Note that the configuration, such as the length of the portion of the cylindrical member 7 where the fixing member 6 is not provided, can be selected as appropriate depending on the desired configuration of the device.

The water storage tank 2 is provided with a water inlet 3 having a lid that can be opened and closed for injecting water into the tank, and the lid of the inlet 3 is closed after water is poured.

As the microporous hollow fiber 1, one that does not normally allow water to pass through, but has the property of allowing water vapor to pass through is used.

Among them, hydrophobic microporous hollow fibers are preferably used because of their high water vapor transmission rate.

Examples of the hydrophobic microporous hollow fibers include polyolefin hollow fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and poly4-methylpentene-1, and fluorine hollow fibers such as polyvinyritine fluoride and polytetrafluoroethylene. Any material having a porous structure can be used without particular limitation.

The membrane form and membrane performance of the microporous hollow fibers may be appropriately selected depending on the desired characteristics of the device depending on the intended use of the device in which it is incorporated, the size of the space to be humidity controlled, and the like.

The inner diameter of the microporous hollow fiber is preferably, for example, 20 μm or more, which does not create a large resistance to gas permeation within the hollow portion. In addition, if we consider the miniaturization of the device, 20
The thickness is preferably about 00 μm or less.

The pore diameter in the membrane wall of the microporous hollow fiber 1 can be appropriately selected to the extent that water does not enter the gas passage side due to the water pressure in the water storage tank.

Further, the porosity is preferably 30% or more in order to avoid large resistance to water vapor permeation, and 90% or less in consideration of strength.

Furthermore, the porosity is 30-90% and the surface area is 20-90%.
The one with a very large opening space of 80m2/g is
It is more preferable because the contact area between water and gas through the hollow fiber membrane wall is large, and a saturated state of water vapor in the hollow portion of the hollow fiber can be efficiently achieved by efficient generation of water vapor.

Further, the thickness of the microporous hollow fiber 1 is preferably 200 μm or less in order to avoid large resistance to permeation of water vapor, and preferably 5 μm or more in consideration of strength.

A large number of hollow fibers 11 are stored in the outer cylinder 13 of the filter part B in a loop shape, and both ends of each hollow fiber are kept open and fixed to a fixing member 12 made of adhesive or the like. , each open end is arranged so as to open to an outlet 9 connected to a connecting pipe 8 connected to the population 5 of the high humidity atmosphere generating section A.

Therefore, the filtered gas discharged from the outlet 9 side and the filtered gas supplied to the region side where the outer wall surface of the hollow fiber 11 in the outer cylinder 13 is nucleated are connected to the hollow fiber 11 and the fixing member 12. This means that it is sealed airtight.

In addition, the area where the outer wall surface of the hollow fiber 11 is in contact has a population of 1
It is connected to a gas supply section by a connecting pipe 14 connected to 0.

As the hollow fiber 11 used in this filter part B, any material can be used without restriction as long as it has the function of filtering solid matter and impurities in the gas, and any material with low gas permeation resistance can be used, such as a hydrophilic material or Any hydrophobic material may be used.

It should be noted that the filter section B in the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 is not limited to a hollow system or stiffness. For example, various types of filters for use with this gas source can be used, such as flat membranes in addition to hollow fibers. In addition to porous membranes, filters made of various materials such as nonwoven fabrics and metal filters can be used.

The gas supply section C is provided to supply gas through the filter section B into the hollow part of the microporous hollow fiber 1 to the high humidity atmosphere generation section, and to release the high humidity gas generated there from the outlet 4. For example, it can be constructed using a near compressor or an air pump.

At the same time, the operation for generating high-humidity air using the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be explained.

First, fill the water tank 2 with water from the water inlet 3, and
Keep the lid closed.

Next, the air pump 16 used in the gas supply section C is operated to supply a gas such as air to the region in contact with the outer wall surface of the hollow fiber 11 of the filter section B at an appropriate gas pressure.

The gas supplied there flows from the outside of the hollow fiber 11 into the hollow part through its membrane wall, and solids and impurities in the gas are filtered out by the hollow fiber.

The gas purified in the filter section B passes through the connecting pipe 8 and is supplied to the gas passage including the hollow region of the microporous hollow fiber 1 to the high humidity atmosphere generating section.

The gas supplied to the hollow region of the microporous hollow fiber 1 is generated from the water filled in the water storage tank 2, and the gas is supplied to the hollow region of the microporous hollow fiber 1.
The water vapor that has reached the hollow region through the membrane wall of the membrane is discharged from the outlet 4 as a humid gas.

With the apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to generate high humidity gas with a relative humidity of 80% or more.

Note that the pressure of the gas supplied from the gas supply section C is
It can be selected depending on the desired humidity of the gas to be released.

In the example explained above, each component is connected to the gas supply section C, the filter section B, and the high humidity atmosphere generation section in this order in the direction of gas flow, but the position where the filter section is provided is limited to this. Not done. For example, the high-humidity atmosphere generating section A and the filter section B may be connected to the downstream side of the output 4 of the high-humidity atmosphere generating section A, and the high-humidity atmosphere generating section A and the filter section B may be arranged in this order. It may be installed in the middle of the passage.

Furthermore, in some cases, a plurality of high-humidity atmosphere generating sections A and filter sections B may be provided.

Note that when the high-humidity atmosphere generating section A and the filter section B are arranged in this order, if water vapor condenses on the hollow fibers 11 of the filter section B, the ventilation resistance increases. If it is necessary to avoid such an increase in ventilation resistance, it is preferable to arrange the filter part B and the high humidity atmosphere generating part A in this order as shown in the figure.

Furthermore, the high humidity atmosphere generating section A has a structure in which gas passes through the hollow part of the microporous hollow fiber 1, but water is arranged in the hollow part of the microporous hollow fiber and the outer wall surface of the hollow fiber is It is preferable to have a configuration in which gas is passed through the contact side, or a configuration in which water is brought into contact with the outer wall surface of the hollow fiber, since there is no uneven flow of gas and the efficiency is good.

The filter section B may also have a configuration in which the gas is filtered by the hollow fibers 11 in the opposite direction to the illustrated example, that is, the gas is vented from the hollow part of the hollow system toward the outside of the hollow fibers.

Further, as the hollow fiber 11 of the filter section B, one in which only one end is left open and fixed with a fixing member, and the other end is sealed can be used.

Further, in cases where it is not necessary to prevent a rise in temperature in a space whose humidity is to be controlled, a heating means such as a heater may be attached to an appropriate position of the apparatus of the present invention.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the high-humidity atmosphere generating device of the present invention, high-humidity gas can be generated without heating water, making it difficult to generate a high-humidity atmosphere or control humidity without causing a rise in temperature. I can achieve it without any problems.

When a heating means such as a heater is not used in the high-humidity atmosphere generating apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to provide an economical high-humidity atmosphere generating apparatus that is small, highly safe, and consumes little power.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the high humidity generating device of the present invention. A: High humidity atmosphere generation part B: Filter part C・Gas supply part 1: Microporous hollow fiber 2: Water tank 3: Water inlet 4: Outlet 5: Inlet 6: Fixing member 7 Cylindrical member
8. Connecting pipe 9, outlet 10. Population 11: Hollow fiber 12: Fixing member 13: Outer cylinder
14・Connecting pipe 15: Outlet 1
6: Air pump patent applicant Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A) A water storage tank, a gas passage, and a microporous hollow fiber. B) a gas supply unit for supplying gas to the gas passage; C) high humidity gas discharged from the gas passage is filtered. A high-humidity atmosphere generating device comprising: a filter section provided so as to be in a purified state;