Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
I
AIR HUMIDIFIER
The invention relates to electrical engineering, more specifically to air
humidifiers for creating an artificial microclimate and can be used to
increase
humidity in any rooms or offices. The air humidifier can be installed either
on
a horizontal surface, on a floor of a room, as well as on a heating radiator,
convector or heater.
There is a known air humidifier comprising a body, a water tank in
which an evaporative filter is immersed, electric fan modules located in an
upper part of the body, and filters for air purification (patent RU 2283459
C2).
io Disadvantages of this humidifier are its large dimensions due to the
large-diameter fan modules, a complexity of manufacturing, a noise from the
fan modules and a high energy consumption required to pump air through the
filters for air purification.
There is a known radiator air humidifier comprising a body in a form of
is a vertical rectangular box with a lid and an open rear side, with slots
at a top
of a front side, a water tank in which an evaporative filter is immersed, a
top of
the evaporative filter being fixed on a rod in the top of the body. The
humidifier
body is manufactured from a plastic. The evaporative filter is manufactured
from a thin, dense cellulose material with high hygroscopicity (a sheet of
thick
20 cardboard, similar in structure to felt) (patent DE 8326722 U1).
Disadvantages of the known humidifier are the plastic body, which is
subject to destruction by a prolonged heat exposure from the radiator,
mechanical effects, as well as from an exposure to ultraviolet rays, as well
as
a dense structure of the evaporative filter, which does not allow air
currents,
25 including those created by the radiator, to pass through it, which slows
down
a natural convection in a room and reduces an efficiency of the humidifier and
cannot ensure high humidifier performance.
Closest to the invention is a radiator air humidifier, comprising a body
in a form of a box with slots at a top of a front side and an open rear side,
a
30 water tank located at a bottom of the box, an evaporative filter, a top
of which
Date recue / Date received 2021-12-09
2
is located in the box and a bottom of which is located at a bottom of the
water
tank.
The top of the evaporative filter is fixed to the rod at the top of the box.
The evaporative filter is manufactured as a thin sheet made of dense
hygroscopic material (patent RU 160861 U1).
Disadvantages of this humidifier are that the evaporative filter as a
sheet made of hygroscopic material has a small evaporation surface. The
evaporative filter in this design and location in the box is an obstacle to
the free
passage of air through the filter and the slots of the box, which leads to a
io decrease in air exchange inside the box and reduces a rate of separation
of
water molecules from a surface of the sheet, thereby reducing air
humidification efficiency in a room and humidifier performance.
The dense structure of the evaporative filter does not allow air
currents, including those generated by the radiator, to pass through the
filter,
is which leads to a slowdown in natural convection in the room and a
decrease
in air humidification efficiency. A small evaporation area of the filter and
its
dense structure, which does not allow air to pass through, cannot ensure high
humidifier performance.
The technical result of the claimed invention is to improve the
20 efficiency of air humidification in the room and to ensure high
humidifier
performance.
The specified technical result is achieved by the fact that the air
humidifier comprising a body in a form of a box with slots at a top of a front
side and an open rear side, a water tank located at a bottom of the box, an
25 evaporative filter a top of which is located and fixed in the box and a
bottom of
which is located in the water tank, according to the invention, has a diffuser
and a fan rotatable in a vertical plane, installed and fixed in a narrow
diffuser
inlet, wherein the diffuser is located behind the evaporative filter in the
upper
rear open side of the box, fixed in the box and pressed with a wide outlet
part
Date recue / Date received 2021-12-09
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to the evaporative filter, which has cells for a passage of air through it,
wherein
a lower part of the evaporative filter is fixed in the water tank.
The air humidifier has, at least one additional evaporative filter and at
least one additional fan diffuser located in parallel with the evaporative
filter
and the fan diffuser.
In the air humidifier, the narrow inlet of the diffuser is manufactured on
perimeter as round, the wide outlet of the diffuser is manufactured on
perimeter
as rectangular or square, and the diffuser is manufactured as a hollow
truncated cone.
io The diffuser has at least one strap to fasten the fan, said strap
being
mounted on diameter of the round narrow inlet of the diffuser.
In the humidifier, the cells for passing air through the evaporative filter
can be manufactured as honeycombs.
The cells for passing air through the evaporative filter can be
is manufactured as holes.
The vertical rectangular box has holes in the front side to supply water
into the water tank.
The air humidifier has float water level gauges installed in the tank.
The water tank is manufactured from a transparent plastic.
20 The box has windows in the front side for visual inspection of the
float
water level gauges.
The air humidifier has a fastener to a heating radiator or to a heater.
The fastener has hooks and the box has hook holes on the sides.
The additional filter increases a total evaporation area of the filters,
25 and the additional fan diffuser increases an overall rate at which air
passes
through the evaporative filters; as a result, the use of the additional
evaporative
filter and the additional fan allows to increase an efficiency of air
humidification
in a room with a small size of the humidifier.
Date recue / Date received 2021-12-09
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The evaporative filter, having a constant area, located across the
entire width and height of the box, has a large evaporation surface due to the
cells. A forced uniform distribution of the air flow created by the fan,
directed
through the diffuser space directly to the area of the evaporative filter,
allows
air to freely pass through the entire surface of the wet evaporative filter,
and
provides a quick air exchange inside the humidifier, which allows to increase
a rate of separation of water molecules from the surface of the evaporative
filter, and to carry out an intensive and stable saturation of indoor air with
moisture and to increase the efficiency of humidification of indoor air.
Unobstructed, forced and diffuser-directed airflow allows air to pass
through the cells of the evaporative filter without loss, thereby increasing
humidifier performance.
Also the humidifier has a low power consumption fan and a low noise
level.
To increase an intensity of moisture evaporation, it is possible to place
the air humidifier on a central heating radiator or any other household air
heater
(hereinafter referred to as a radiator). The honeycomb structure of the
evaporative filter allows warm air to pass freely through the evaporative
filter,
which helps to increase the rate of removal of moist air from the body of the
humidifier and thereby increase the efficiency of air humidification.
Fig. 1 is a front view of the air humidifier; Fig. 2 is a section along A-A
on Fig. 1; Fig.3 is a section along B-B on Fig.1; Fig. 4 is a rear view of the
air
humidifier; Fig. 5 is a side view C of the air humidifier on Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is
a view
D, one of the variants of the cells of the evaporative filter on an enlarged
scale.
The air humidifier comprises a body in the form of a box 1 with slots 2
at a top on a front side (Fig.1) and with an open rear side 3 (Fig. 2). A
water
tank 4 is placed at a bottom of the box I. There is an evaporative filter 5 a
top
part of which is located and fixed in the box 1, and a lower part of which is
fixed
in the water tank 4; a diffuser 6 (Fig. 3, 4) and a fan 7, rotatable in a
vertical
plane by means of an electric motor, installed and fixed in a narrow inlet
part
Date recue / Date received 2021-12-09
5
8 of the diffuser 6. The diffuser 6 is located behind the evaporative filter 5
in
the upper rear open side 3 of the box 1, fixed in the vertical rectangular box
1
and pressed with a wide outlet part 9 to the evaporative filter 5, which has
cells
fora passage of air through it.
5 The box 1 at
the top and the water tank 4 have, respectively, supports
11 and a cradle 12 for fixing and installing the evaporative filter.
The air humidifier has at least one additional evaporative filter 13 and
at least one additional diffuser 14 with a fan 15, which are placed in
parallel to
the evaporative filter 5 and the diffuser 6 with the fan 7.
10 The
additional evaporative filter 13 has the same design as the
evaporative filter 5, and the additional diffuser 14 with the fan 15 are
designed,
respectively, as the diffuser 6 and the fan 7.
In the described air humidifier, an horizontal axis of the fan is aligned
with an horizontal axis of the diffuser. The narrow inlet part 8 of the
diffuser 6
is is
manufactured on perimeter as round, the wide outlet part 9 of the diffuser 6
is manufactured on perimeter as rectangular or square, and the diffuser 6 is
manufactured as a hollow truncated cone.
The wide outlet part 9 of the diffuser can be on perimeter not only
rectangular, or square, but also round, triangular, or oval.
The diffuser 6 has at least one strap 16 to fasten the fan 7, said strap
being mounted on diameter of the round narrow inlet of the diffuser. In the
described humidifier, a second strap 17 is mounted, similar to strap 16. Any
other number of straps can be used to mount the fan 7 with an electric motor.
The cells 10 for the passage of air through the evaporative filter 5 can
be manufactured as honeycombs or as holes.
The box 1 has holes 18 in the front side to supply water into the water
tank 4.
The water tank 4 is manufactured from a transparent plastic. Float
water level gauges 19 are installed in the tank 4.
Date recue / Date received 2021-12-09
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The box 1 has windows 20 in the front side for visual inspection of the
float water level gauges 19.
The air humidifier has a fastener to a heating radiator or to a heater.
The fastener has hooks 21, and the box 1 has holes 22 for the hooks 21 on
lateral sides.
The evaporative filter 5 has hygroscopic properties.
The diffuser and the fans are manufactured of moisture resistant
material such as plastic.
The slots 2 realized at the top on the front side of box 1, can be of any
io shape: for example, round, rectangular.
The air humidifier works as follows.
The air humidifier is installed on the floor of the room, water is poured
through the holes 18 to supply water to the water tank 4, the evaporative
filter
5 absorbs water because the lower part of the evaporative filter 5, fixed in
the
is cradles 12, is submerged into water to the bottom of the water tank 4,
and its
top part, located above the water tank 4, soaked in water due to the
hygroscopicity of the evaporative filter 5, becomes wet.
The evaporative filter 5, having a constant area, due to the cells 10,
has a large evaporation surface.
20 When the fan 7 rotates, a dry air flow is forcibly drawn into the box
1
through the rear open side 3, enters the narrow part 8 of the diffuser 6,
passes
through blades of the fan 7 and enters 5 into the wide part 9 of the diffuser
6,
which is adjacent to the evaporative filter. This creates air pressure on the
evaporative filters 5. The air flow is evenly distributed over the entire
surface
25 of the cells 10 of the wet evaporative filter 5, located above the water
tank 4,
since the wide part 9 of the diffuser 6 is adjacent to the evaporative filter
5. Air
passes freely through the cells 10 of the wet evaporative filter 5 and is
saturated with water molecules, after which humidified air, under the
influence
Date recue / Date received 2021-12-09
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of air pressure, leaves the box 1 through the slots 2 on the front side of the
box
I.
The forced uniform distribution of air flow on the surface of the
evaporative filter and the free passage of air through the cells leads to an
increase in air exchange inside the box and increases the rate of separation
of
water molecules from the surface of the evaporative filter, which leads to
increased air humidifying efficiency in the room and increased humidifier
performance.
As the air flow created by the fan 7 intensively blows away water
io molecules
from the surface of the evaporative filter 5 through the diffuser 6,
the evaporative filter 5 absorbs water from the water tank 4, as a result of
which
the water level in said water tank gradually decreases. Since the water tank 4
is made of transparent plastic, the float water level gauges 15 are visible
through the windows 16. The water level is controlled. To ensure a continuous
is process of
humidifying the room, it is necessary to regularly add water to the
tank.
In order to increase the intensity of moisture evaporation, the air
humidifier can be placed on a central heating radiator or any other household
air heater.
20 The air
humidifier mounted on the radiator by means of the hooks 21,
which are inserted into the lateral holes 22, made at different heights of the
sides of the box 1 for different radiator dimensions.
The air humidifier is installed with the rear open side 3 of the box 1 on
the front side of the radiator, with the body of the radiator completely
covering
25 the rear
open part 3 of the box 1, causing the heat radiation from the radiator
to heat the diffuser 6, the fan 7 and the top part of the evaporative filters
5
located above the water tank 4.
During operation, the fan 7 draws in air heated by the radiator through
the rear open side 3 of the box 1, then warm air enters the diffuser 6, gets
30 evenly
distributed in it over the entire area of the wet evaporative filter 5 located
Date recue / Date received 2021-12-09
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at the top of the box 1 above the water tank 4, after which warm air passes
freely through the cells 10 in the evaporative filter 5, gets saturated with
moisture and exits the vertical rectangular box 1 through the slots 2 on the
front side of the vertical rectangular box 1.
The effect of the warm air created by the radiator on the evaporative
filter 5 allows for an increase in the rate of evaporation of moisture from
its
surface, with the box 1 and the fan 7 being compact enough, for a reduction of
energy consumption and noise level, in comparison with other known air
humidifiers operating according to the same scheme but without using thermal
io energy generated by a radiator or other household air heater. It also
allows for
increased room humidification efficiency due to the uniform distribution of
humid air together with convection currents created by the radiator.
The use of air heated by a radiator for forced blowing of evaporative
filters makes it possible to use less efficient fans in comparison with known
humidifiers.
The use of the heated air for forced blowing of the evaporative filters
5 by the fan 7 allows for an even distribution of the air humidified by the
device
throughout the room, since the warm moist air coming out of the slots 2 in the
front of the box 1 participates in the natural convection currents inside the
room
created by the radiator.
The air flow from the fan is directed forward, that is, the air is supplied
from the radiator side, which allows the evaporative filter to be blown with
warm
air heated from the radiator, which also contributes to an increase in the
rate
of evaporation of moisture from the evaporative filter. In addition, the
location
of the air humidifier on the radiator with the fan on increases the rate of
passage of air masses through the heating radiator, which also leads to an
increase in heat transfer from the radiator and acceleration of natural
convection in the room.
The air humidifier in accordance with the claimed invention has
increased evaporation surface, due to the free passage of air through the
Date recue / Date received 2021-12-09
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evaporative filter and slots of the body, allows for an increase in the rate
of air
passage through the evaporative filter, and this leads to an increase in the
rate
of separation of water molecules from the surface of the evaporative filter,
thereby increasing the efficiency of air humidification in the room. The air
humidifier has a small size and low energy consumption.
Date recue / Date received 2021-12-09
