Arrangement For Electrostatic Environmental Conditioning

Abstract

Wall means defines an enclosed air-conditioning space and is connected to ground potential. At least one electrode is carried by the wall means electrically insulated therefrom and is connected to a positive potential so that an electrostatic field is established between the electrode and the wall means. Further there is provided means operative for maintaining the relative humidity of the air in the enclosed space at a substantially constant level.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to electrostatic environmental conditioning in general, and more particularly to an arrangement for such conditioning.

It is already known to establish in an enclosed space an electrostatic field, either by disposing two spaced electrodes in an enclosed space and connecting one to a positive and the other to a negative potential, or by providing one electrode which is connected to one potential and by connecting the wall bounding the enclosed space to the other potential. The purpose of establishing such a field may be to beneficially influence persons in the enclosed space, such as a room, it having been well established that an effect of well-being can be obtained in this manner. Other reasons include the removal of bacteria and aerosols in the air in the space.

Observations have shown that the effects of a thus-established electrostatic field may be varied by the relative humidity prevailing in the air of the enclosed space, or more particularly that there are certain relationships between the relative humidity and the prevailing field strength. Thus, if the voltage maintaining the field is kept constant, the field strength generally decreases as relative humidity in the enclosed space increases. Of course it is well known that increase in relative humidity beyond a certain range exerts a negative influence on the well-being of human beings exposed to this humidity. It has been found, however, that this negative influence of increased humidity is at least partially counteracted by an increase in the voltage used for establishing the electrostatic field. The logical suggestion following from this observation was to regulate the field strength of the electrostatic field in dependence upon the prevailing relative humidity.

This has not been successful because heretofore it has been impossible to provide constant, uniform and reproducible results in this manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, accordingly, a general object of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned problems.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for electrostatic environmental conditioning which overcomes these problems.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an arrangement which makes it possible to produce constant, uniform and reproducible results, and to produce these results with optimum efficiency.

In pursuance of the above objects, and other which will become apparent hereafter, one feature of our invention resides in the provision of an arrangement for electrostatic environmental conditioning which includes wall means defining an enclosed air-containing space such as a room or the like. This space is bounded by a plurality of peripheral wall portions connected to ground potential. At least one electrode is carried by one of the wall portions but is electrically insulated therefrom. This electrode is connected to a positive potential with the result that an electrostatic field is established between the electrode and the wall portions. According to our invention we further provide means which is operative for maintaining the relative humidity of the air in this enclosed space at a substantially constant level.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevation of an enclosed space provided with the arrangement according to our invention; and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary schematic illustration of a further embodiment according to our invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Discussing firstly the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 it will be seen that reference numeral 1 identifies an enclosed space which for the sake of convenience shall be assumed to be a room in a building, hereafter to be identified as a "room." This room 1 is bounded by wall means comprising peripheral wall portions 1a and 1b with the former here being the ceiling and the latter being the floor and side walls.

An electrode 3 is in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 mounted on the ceiling 1a via electrically insulating members 2. A source 7 of high direct current is connected via conductor means 8 with the electrode 3 and via conductor means 9 to ground with which the wall portions 1a and 1b are also connected. A hygrostatic regulator 10 of known construction*(*e.g., control apparatus AQUATROL W 302a or W 303a of Honeywell GmbH, Offenback/Main (Germany)) is provided in the room 1 and measures the relative humidity prevailing in the air in the room 1. It is in turn connected in known manner with an atomizing device 11** (**e.g., "Luftbefeuchter Privileg" Typ 99 117 of Quelle, Furth/Bayern (Germany)) which it controls in such a manner that the device 11 atomizes water--preferably rain water or distilled water derived from the diagrammatically illustrated source--and sprays it into the room 1 in such proportions as to maintain the relative humidity of the air in the room 1 at a constant level, for instance 50 percent. Generally speaking, the temperature in a room in a building also remains substantially constant and therefore the relative humidity maintained in the aforementioned manner corresponds to a constant absolute humidity.

In FIG. 1 reference numeral 4 identifies a floor covering such as a carpet, rug or the like and reference numeral 5 a wall covering, with reference numeral 6 identifying a ceiling covering. It will be understood that none of these coverings are necessary for the purposes of the present invention. However, their presence is advantageous and they should at least in part consist of hygroscopic material which is electrically conductive at least when the humidity in the air of room 1 reaches or exceeds a predetermined level. It goes without saying that if the coverings or elements 4, 5 and 6 are present, they will be connected with ground potential. In fact, in the presence of the elements 4, 5 and 6 the wall portions 1a and 1b themselves need not be connected to ground potential as long as the elements 4-6 are so connected. For purposes of broadly considering the invention the elements 4-6 may themselves be thought of as part of the wall portions 1a and 1b, however.

With the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1 it is possible to maintain the electrostatic field constantly at a predetermined value which has been found advantageous, and the same is of course true of the voltage applied to the electrodes for this purpose. Evidently, the voltage and the field may be varied according to a predetermined program if this is desired. In any case, however, the effects which are obtained are now largely reproduceable because by maintaining the humidity within the electrostatic field at a constant level we eliminate a major factor which heretofore made it impossible to reproduce from time to time of use, or from room to room, the results which were obtained.

Moreover, it will be appreciated that it is much simpler to regulate and maintain constant the humidity in the air than it is to regulate the voltage used for establishing the electrostatic field, in dependence upon the prevailing humidity. To obtain optimum results it is possible according to the present invention to so combine a field strength which has been found to be advantageous with a humidity level which has similarly been found as advantageous, that it is possible to obtain long range advantageous results.

We have found that it is advantageous to have the device 10 maintain the humidity at a constant level of between substantially 40 and 60 percent relative humidity because this is the humidity range which is generally found--even without the presence of an electrostatic field--to be pleasant for human beings. Of course there is no reason why the level could not be changed if this is desired for any reason.

We have also found it advantageous to provide a temperature regulating arrangement of any known construction suitable for the purpose, which is capable of maintaining the temperature in the space 1 substantially constant because this serves to further suppress adverse influences acting upon the electrostatic field.

As already mentioned above, it is not necessary that the elements 4, 5 and 6 be present, and it is not necessary that they have hygroscopic properties. However, this is preferred and it will be appreciated that in lieu of the elements 4-6 or in addition thereto such hygroscopic properties may also be present in or on pieces of furniture or the like. Advantageously the hygroscopic property should be such that these elements have at the selected relative humidity a surface conductivity which is constant and is better than that of the air by at least one decimal power, i.e. by at least one power of ten. Evidently, if the humidity is maintained constant, then the surface conductivity of these elements will similarly be constant and charged particles impinging upon the surfaces of these elements will be therefore immediately deprived of their charge so that the establishment of a blocking layer or blocking screen in front of these surfaces--and which adversely influence the electrostatic field--is prevented. It should be noted that this conductivity is obtained without any need for utilizing a second or counter electrode of metallic material because ordinary rugs, carpets, wallpapers and the like will have the desired characteristics. However, it is advantageous not to utilize synthetic plastics, including paints based on synthetic plastic materials.

It has already been mentioned before that the atomizer 11 may be of known construction. We wish to further point out that it is advantageous if the atomizer is of the type which imparts to the liquid particles resulting from the atomizing process an electric charge because this increases the ion concentration in the electrostatic field and in turn provides an advantageous influence on the well being of persons exposed to the electrostatic field. This ion production or the production of charge in the particles can occur for instance through the so-called Lenard-Effect wherein minute electric charge carriers are produced. This effect is already known and can for instance be observed where cold water is ejected and atomized under high pressure from a showerhead. * (*The Lenard-Effect is described e.g., in "Lexikon der Physik," Franckh'sche Verlagsbunchhandlung, Stuttgart, 2. Edition, pages 300 and 830.)

It is not necessary but preferable that the water supplied to the atomizer 11 be either rain water or doubledistilled water because the use of other water with its mineral content results in heated rooms in the development of so-called condensation cores whose surface moisture dries quickly, leaving the condensation cores which become deposited in form of a grey coating on exposed surfaces and which further make breathing more difficult because the air appears to be dusty.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 differs from that in FIG. 1 in that the humidity control is not the same. The other elements of FIG. 1 may remain unchanged in the embodiment of FIG. 2. However, in this embodiment there is provided an air circulation arrangement 13 which withdraws air from room 1 through a conduit 14 and returns it to the room through a conduit 15. In its path the withdrawn air passes through the drying device 16 of known construction wherein a portion of its humidity is withdrawn, and is then warmed or cooled in a heat exchange device 17 to a desired temperature. From the device 17 the air passes through a humidifying device 18, again of known construction,* (e.g., an air humidifying device of LUWA GmbH, Frankfurt/Main (Germany)) consisting of Zuluftgerat CH 16 and a washer chamber with pump KSB Typ Eta Block 32/16/302) wherein it is enriched with atomized water and then returned through the conduit 15 into the room 1. A thermostat 19 is provided in the room 1 and so controls the heat exchange device 17 that the temperature prevailing in room 1 is maintained constant at a predetermined level. A humidistat 20** (**e.g. AQUATROL W 303a of Honeywell) regulates the moisture in the room 1 and maintains it constant as selected. The drying device 16 assures on the one hand that excess humidity created in the room 1 itself--for instance by the presence of "sweating" pipes or the like--is removed, and on the other hand provides for a constant necessity of adding new moisture to the circulated air, with the result that new ions are constantly introduced into the room 1 if the device 18 is of the type discussed above which charges the atomized particles.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an arrangement for electrostatic environmental conditioning, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended

1. In an arrangement for electrostatic environmental conditioning, a combination comprising wall means defining an enclosed air-containing space habitable for human beings and bounded by a plurality of peripheral wall portions connected to ground potential; at least one electrode carried by one of said wall portions electrically insulated therefrom and being connected to a positive potential so that an electrostatic field of predetermined strength is established between said electrode and said wall portions in said enclosed space; and means operative for maintaining the relative humidity of the air in said electrostatic field at a substantially constant level and for thereby preventing changes in said predetermined strength of said electrostatic field due to changes in said level of relative humidity, said means comprising a humidity measuring device located in said space within said electrostatic field and operative for measuring the relative humidity of the ambient air, and an atomizing device operatively associated with said humidity measuring device and responsive to measurements of the same for atomizing water, imparting to it an electric charge, and introducing the atomized charged water into the air in said space in quantities controlled by the measurements of said humidity measuring device.

2. In an arrangement as defined in claim 1; further comprising additional means operative for maintaining the interior of said enclosed space at substantially constant temperature.

3. In an arrangement as defined in claim 1, said atomizing device being operative for maintaining the relative humidity of the air in said enclosed space at a level between substantially 40 and 60 percent.

4. In an arrangement as defined in claim 1, said wall means consisting at least in part of material having hygroscopic properties so selected as to have at said level of relative humidity a constant electrical surface conductivity which is greater than that of the air in said space.

5. In an arrangement as defined in claim 1, said atomizing device being a Lenard-Effect atomizer for atomizing water and introducing the same in ionized condition into the air in said enclosed space.

6. In an arrangement as defined in claim 1; further comprising treating means operative for withdrawing air from said enclosed space, drying the thus withdrawn air and returning it to said enclosed space, and said treating means being associated with said atomizing device so that the dried air has imparted thereto a predetermined level of relative humidity prior to returning into said enclosed space.

7. In an arrangement as defined in claim 1; and means further comprising a source of water associated with said atomizing device.

8. In an arrangement as defined in claim 7, wherein said source is a source of rain water.

9. In an arrangement as defined in claim 7, wherein said source is a source of distilled water.