Gas separation: processes – Solid sorption – Moving sorbent
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-13
2001-05-22
Simmons, David A. (Department: 1724)
Gas separation: processes
Solid sorption
Moving sorbent
C095S114000, C095S117000, C095S123000, C095S124000, C096S145000, C096S150000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06235086
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for dehumidifying air.
II. Description of the Related Art A conventional dehumidification apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application (Kokai) No. H8-155247.
As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, with the dehumidification apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application (Kokai) No. 6-324015, a part of the air to be dehumidified, which was inhaled into a housing B of the apparatus by a fan A is transferred to a dehumidification rotor C rotatably mounted in the housing B. After dehumidification by the rotor C, the dehumidified air is discharged to the outside of the housing B. The other part of the inhaled air is passed through passages F of a heat exchanger E and then transferred to the dehumidification rotor C through a heater G to regenerate the dehumidification rotor C. The air humidified by the regeneration of the dehumidification rotor C is then sent to passages H of the heat exchanger E so as to condense the moisture, and the water. generated by the condensation of moisture is removed.
However, this apparatus has the following drawbacks:
First, since the humid air generated by the regeneration of the dehumidification rotor C is cooled in the passages H of the heat exchanger E by the air in the vicinity of the housing B to the temperature not higher than the dew point, the air at the exit of the passages H has a temperature somewhat higher than the ambient temperature and has a relative humidity of 100%, so that it contains more moisture than the air in the vicinity of the housing B. Thus, since this humid air cooled by the heat exchanger is discharged to the outside of the housing B as it is, the dehumidification efficiency is not high. Even if the humid air is not discharged but inhaled by the fan A, the humid air is mixed with the air in the vicinity of the housing B, the dehumidification efficiency cannot be greatly promoted.
Second, since the air inhaled by the fan A is divided into two streams and sent to the dehumidification rotor C and heat exchanger E, respectively, the pressure at the entrance of passages K of the dehumidification rotor C is about the same as the pressure at the entrance of the passages F of the heat exchanger E, and the pressure is higher than that of the air in the vicinity of the housing B. The air sent to the passages F of the heat exchanger E is sequentially passed through the heater G, the passages I of the dehumidification rotor C and the passages H of the heat exchanger E, the pressure is sequentially decreased accordingly, and the pressure of the discharged air is about the same as the air in the vicinity of the housing B. Thus, the pressure at the exit of the passages I of the dehumidification rotor C is lower than the entrance of the passages K of the dehumidification rotor C.
Therefore, the air in the vicinity of the entrance of the passages K of the dehumidification rotor C flows to the exit of the passages I of the dehumidification rotor C and the temperature and humidity of the humid air generated at the dehumidification rotor C are both decreased, so that the amount of the removed moisture is decreased.
Third, since the air discharged from the passages K of the dehumidification rotor C is immediately discharged to the outside of the housing B, the pressure in the vicinity of the exit of the passages K of the dehumidification rotor C is about the same as the pressure outside the housing B. Thus, the pressure at the entrance of the passages I of the dehumidification rotor C is higher than the pressure at the exit of the passages K of the dehumidification rotor C. Therefore, a part of the air heated by the heater G in the vicinity of the entrance of the passages I of the dehumidification rotor C flows to the exit of the passages K of the dehumidification rotor C and the amount of the humid air generated by the dehumidification rotor C is decreased, so that the amount of the removed moisture is decreased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for dehumidifying air by which air is dehumidified with a higher efficiency than the conventional dehumidification apparatuses.
The present inventor intensively studied to discover that the dehumidification efficiency can be promoted by providing air used entirely for regeneration of the dehumidification rotor and by substantially separating the air for regeneration of the dehumidification rotor from the air to be dehumidified and from the dehumidified air, thereby completing the present invention.
That is, the present invention provides a method for dehumidifying air comprising the steps of:
(i) contacting a dehumidification element which reversibly absorbs moisture in the air and which is contained in a housing of a dehumidification apparatus, with the air to be dehumidified;
(ii) discharging air to the outside of said housing, which air was dehumidified by the contact with said dehumidification element;
(iii) regenerating said dehumidification element by contacting said dehumidification element after absorbing the moisture in said air with heated air for regeneration of the dehumidification element so as to remove the moisture from said dehumidification element;
(iv) reusing the dehumidification element in the step (i), which was regenerated by the step (iii);
(v) cooling the air for regeneration of the dehumidification element after removing moisture from the dehumidification element in the step (iii) so as to condense the moisture, and removing the generated water from the air for regeneration of the dehumidification element; and
(vi) circulating the air for regeneration of the dehumidification element from the step (v) from which the water generated by condensation of moisture was removed, to the step (iii);
said air for regeneration of the dehumidification element is not substantially mixed with the air to be dehumidified or with the dehumidified air.
The present invention also provides a dehumidification apparatus comprising:
a housing;
a dehumidification element which reversibly absorbs moisture in the air;
a passage for circulating air for regeneration of the dehumidification element, which is communicated to said dehumidification element;
means for introducing the air to be dehumidified to said dehumidification element; and
a dehumidified air-discharging passage for discharging the air dehumidified by said dehumidification element to the outside of said housing, which is communicated to said dehumidification element and to the outside of said housing;
said passage for circulating air for regeneration of the dehumidification element is provided with means for cooling the air for regeneration of the dehumidification element after regenerating the dehumidification element so as to condense the moisture removed from the dehumidification element; means for removing water generated by condensation of moisture from the air for regeneration of the dehumidification element; a heater for heating the air for regeneration of the dehumidification element after removing the water generated by condensation of moisture; and driving means for circulating the air for regeneration of the dehumidification element;
said passage for circulating air for regeneration of the dehumidification element is closed anywhere except for the vicinity of said dehumidification element.
By the present invention, since the air entirely used for regeneration of the dehumidification element is separately employed and is circulated without being discarded and without being substantially mixed with the air to be dehumidified or with the dehumidified air, the dehumidification efficiency is significantly higher than those with the conventional dehumidification apparatuses.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4342569 (1982-08-01), Hussmann
patent: 4926618 (1990-05-01), Ratlift
patent: 5040375 (1991-08-01), Von Dobeln
patent: 0025342A1 (1981-03-01), None
patent: 0051501A1 (1982-05-01), None
patent: 2165465A (1986-04-01), None
patent: 2251393A
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Hopkins Robert A.
Kankyo Co., Ltd.
Simmons David A.
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