JP4712490B2 - Ion gas generator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion gas generator that generates ion gas by irradiating a gas with radiation.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ion gas generator that discharges electricity by blowing an ion gas, which is an ionized gas, onto a charged object to be discharged has been used. In such an ion gas generator, when ion gas is generated by irradiating the gas with radiation such as soft X-rays and blown out from the air outlet, the radiation is not leaked due to the effect on the human body. There is a need to.

As methods for shielding radiation, there are methods described in Patent Documents 1 to 4. Patent Document 1 discloses a capillary plate in which a plurality of fine through-holes are provided at an outlet, and Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose a bent outlet. Yes. Patent Document 4 discloses a vehicle air cleaning device configured such that an air passage hole is inclined with respect to the radiation direction of radiation.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-6860 JP 2000-167388 A JP 2005-19044 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-244829

  However, in the above ion gas generator, radiation can be shielded, but at the same time, it is easy to disturb the gas, so that recombination of ions is promoted and the time required for static elimination is increased. In addition, since a complicated shielding structure and a separate radiation shielding part are required, there is a problem that the configuration becomes complicated.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the ion gas generator which can shield radiation reliably with a simple structure and can reduce disorder of gas.

  An ion gas generator according to the present invention ionizes a gas flowing into an ionization chamber by radiation radiated from an ionization source to generate an ion gas, and blows out the ion gas from an outlet of the ionization chamber The radiation shielding unit includes a radiation shielding unit disposed at the outlet, and the radiation shielding unit includes a plurality of corrugated members each having a concave curved surface and a convex curved surface. And a gap as a gas flow path is formed between the adjacent wave members, and one of the adjacent wave members has the wave direction in the arrangement direction of the plurality of wave members. The top of the convex curved surface of the other corrugated member is located between the top of the concave curved surface and the top of the convex curved surface.

  Thus, in the ion gas generator according to the present invention, the convex surface of the other corrugated member is between the top of the concave surface and the top of the convex surface of one of the adjacent corrugated members. Since the top portion is located, the radiation always strikes the corrugated member in the radiation shielding portion. Therefore, since radiation can be prevented from passing through the radiation shielding portion, radiation does not leak from the ionization chamber. Furthermore, since the corrugated member has a concave curved surface and a convex curved surface, the gas flow path provided between adjacent corrugated members becomes a smooth corrugated shape. Therefore, gas disturbance can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently generate a large amount of ions while suppressing recombination of ions while ensuring safety to the human body.

  Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide a complicated shielding structure or a separate radiation shielding part as in the prior art, the ion gas generator can be configured simply. Therefore, it is possible to apply not only to the production site of the ion gas generator but also to general-purpose products.

  Preferably, the plurality of corrugated members are arranged via spacers. In this case, by adjusting the thickness of the spacer between the wave members, the interval between the adjacent wave members can be easily adjusted.

  Preferably, both end portions of the plurality of corrugated members are concave curved surfaces or tops of convex curved surfaces. As described above, the turbulence of the gas can be further reduced by setting the end portions of the corrugated member on the ion gas inlet side and the outlet side to the top portions of the concave curved surface or the convex curved surface.

  Moreover, an X-ray tube is mentioned as an ionization source.

  According to the ion gas generator of the present invention, radiation can be reliably shielded with a simple configuration, and gas disturbance can be reduced. Thereby, for example, the ability to remove static electricity can be improved while ensuring safety to the human body.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an ion gas generator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an ion gas generator according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the ion gas generator. Here, the ion gas generator 1 irradiates a gas such as high-pressure air with soft X-rays, ionizes it to generate an ion gas, and blows it out. A light emission type that discharges electricity with the ionized ion gas. It is adopted as an electrostatic removal device. The ion gas generator 1 includes an ionization chamber 2 having a space for ionizing a gas.

  The ionization chamber 2 is made of, for example, a vinyl chloride resin, which is an electrically insulating material, and the outer shape thereof is a rectangular parallelepiped shape. An inlet 4 for inflowing a gas such as high-pressure air is formed at an end 21 (upper end in FIG. 1) of the ionization chamber 2, and the end 21 is connected to, for example, a gas supply source. A gas supply means (not shown) composed of the connected pipes is connected. Moreover, the blower outlet 5 for blowing off the ion gas which is ionized gas is formed in the edge part 22 (lower edge part of FIG. 1) facing the edge part 21. As shown in FIG. In this configuration, the gas flows from the end 21 side toward the end 22 side as indicated by an arrow A in FIGS.

  A radiation opening 25 to which the X-ray tube 3 that emits soft X-rays is attached is formed in the side wall 23 that is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the ionization chamber 2. The X-ray tube 3 is airtightly fixed to the radiation opening 25 in such a direction that the radiation direction of the soft X-ray is the longitudinal direction of the ionization chamber 2. Here, soft X-rays refer to weak X-rays having low energy and low permeability among X-rays that are radiation.

  The inlet 4 and the outlet 5 are respectively provided with radiation shielding portions 6A and 6B that shield the soft X-rays so that the soft X-rays do not leak from the ionization chamber 2. The radiation shielding parts 6 </ b> A and 6 </ b> B have a plurality of corrugated members 61. The plurality of corrugated members 61 are arranged via spacers 62 in the direction (indicated by arrow B) substantially orthogonal to the gas inflow direction and ion gas blowing direction (indicated by arrow A). A gap formed by the spacer 62 provided between the members 61 and 61 is the gas flow path 7. Thus, by arranging the corrugated members 61 via the spacers 62, the width of the gas flow path 7 (the distance between the adjacent corrugated members 61) can be easily adjusted.

  Further, in the radiation shielding portions 6A and 6B, the support 63 is inserted into the plurality of wavy members 61 and the plurality of spacers 62, and the nuts 64 are screwed to both ends of the support 63 so that the wavy member 61 and the support 63 are connected. It is fixed. The radiation shielding portions 6A and 6B are attached to the ionization chamber 2 by fixing the support columns 62 to the side walls 23 and 24.

  The radioactive shielding parts 6A and 6B will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

  Each of the wave-like members 61 included in the radiation shielding portions 6A and 6B is formed of a plate material in which a plurality of concave curved surfaces and convex curved surfaces are continuously continuous. Therefore, the gas flow path 7 formed between the adjacent wave-like members 61 and 61 becomes a smoothly continuous wave-like shape, and gas disturbance is reduced. Further, in order to further reduce gas turbulence, as shown in FIG. 2, in each wave member 61, when viewed from the side wall 23, the inner end 61a of the ionization chamber 2 becomes a concave curved top 61c, and the ionization chamber It is preferable that the outer end portion 61b of No. 2 is formed to be the top portion 61d of the convex curved surface. In addition, in the wave-like members 61 and 61 adjacent to the side walls 23 and 24 among the plurality of wave-like members 61, the end portion 61 a is formed to be connectable to the side walls 23 and 24. As a result, the soft X-rays are prevented from leaking from between the wave-like member 61 and the side walls 23 and 24. Further, the thickness t of each corrugated member 61 is not particularly limited as long as it is a thickness capable of shielding soft X-rays. However, for example, when the corrugated member 61 is made of a vinyl chloride resin, it is preferably 2 mm or more.

  In addition, the outer shape of the spacer 62 is, for example, a cylindrical shape in order to suppress gas disturbance and separation. Furthermore, the thickness of the spacer 62 is such that, when the corrugated members 61 are arranged via the spacers 62 as described above, any one of the adjacent corrugated members 61 and 61 in the arrangement direction B is provided. The thickness is such that the top 61d of the convex surface of the other corrugated member 61 is located between the top 61c of the concave curved surface 61 and the top 61d of the convex curved surface.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, a straight line L connecting the tops 61 c and 61 c of the concave curved surface of one of the adjacent corrugated members 61 and 61 and the convex curved surface of the other corrugated member 61 are formed. As a result, the ionization chamber 2 cannot be seen from the inside to the outside (or from the outside to the inside). Therefore, the radiation in the ionization chamber 2 reliably hits the corrugated member 61 and does not leak out from the ionization chamber 2 regardless of the traveling direction.

  Next, operation | movement of the ion gas generator 1 mentioned above is demonstrated.

  First, a gas such as high-pressure air is supplied to the inlet 4 through a gas supply means (not shown). This gas flows into the ionization chamber 2 through the gas flow path 7 of the radiation shielding part 6 </ b> A arranged at the inlet 4. Thus, when supplying gas to the ionization chamber 2, a voltage is applied to the X-ray tube 3, and soft X-rays are emitted from the X-ray tube 3 into the ionization chamber 2. Thereby, the gas in the ionization chamber 2 is ionized by the emitted soft X-rays to become an ion gas. And since gas is supplied continuously from the inflow port 4, the ion gas produced | generated in the ionization chamber 2 goes out of the ionization chamber 2 through the gas flow path 7 of the radiation shielding part 6B provided in the blower outlet 5. Blown out.

  In the ion gas generator 1, since the gas flow path 7 of the radiation shielding part 6B has a smooth wave shape, the disturbance of the ion gas flowing through the gas flow path 7 is small. Therefore, recombination of ions is suppressed, and many ions are contained in the blown out ion gas. Therefore, when the ion gas produced | generated with the ion gas generator 1 is sprayed on a charged material, neutralization of a charged material can be performed efficiently.

  Moreover, in the radiation shielding parts 6A and 6B of the ion gas generator 1, in the arrangement direction B, the plurality of corrugated members 61 are the tops of the concave curved surfaces of one of the adjacent corrugated members 61 and 61. The top 61d of the convex surface of the other corrugated member 61 is positioned between 61c and the top 61d of the convex surface. Therefore, the soft X-rays radiated into the ionization chamber 2 are shielded against the wave-like member 61 included in the radiation shielding portions 6A and 6B regardless of the radiation direction, so that the soft X-rays in the ionization chamber 2 are ionized. 2 is surely confined in 2 and soft X-rays do not leak out of the ionization chamber 2. Therefore, when the ion gas generator 1 is used for, for example, a clean room bench or a human body before an elevator, it is not necessary to worry about the influence of soft X-rays on the human body.

  Furthermore, since it is not necessary to provide a complicated shielding structure or a separate radiation shielding part in order to shield soft X-rays, the ion gas generator 1 can be simply configured. Moreover, the manufacturing cost of the ion gas generator 1 can be reduced by configuring the corrugated member 61 with an inexpensive and lightweight material such as vinyl chloride resin in addition to metal.

  As described above, the ion gas generator 1 has a simple configuration, can shield soft X-rays while reducing costs, and can reduce turbulence in gas flow. Therefore, the ion gas generator 1 can be applied not only to the manufacturing site but also to various installation locations and uses.

  The present invention has been specifically described above based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, like the ion gas generator 8 shown in FIG. 4, the gas inlet 4 is provided on one side wall perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the ionization chamber 2, and soft X-rays are emitted in the same direction as the gas inflow direction. In this way, the X-ray tube 3 may be installed. In the ion gas generator 8 shown in FIG. 4, space saving in the height direction can be achieved.

  Moreover, the installation direction of the X-ray tube 3 is not specifically limited. For example, in the ion gas generator 8, the X-ray tube 3 may be installed so that the soft X-ray emission direction is parallel to the ion gas blowing direction.

  Furthermore, although the radiation is soft X-rays in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this and may be alpha rays or beta rays. As described above, when α rays and β rays are used, examples of the ionization source include sealed radioactive isotopes. The sealed radioisotope is used as a radiation source by sealing a radioactive substance in a container that does not leak radiation.

  Moreover, the wave-like member 61 should just be what the at least 1 or more concave curved surface and convex curved surface continued smoothly. Further, the corrugated member 61 may be directly fixed to the ionization chamber 2 at a predetermined interval without using the spacer 62, and the arrangement direction is substantially orthogonal to the blowing direction of the ion gas, but it is only necessary to intersect.

It is a perspective view showing one embodiment of an ion gas generating device concerning the present invention. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of the ion gas generator shown in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the radiation shielding part shown in FIG. It is a sectional side view of other embodiment of the ion gas generator shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,8 ... Ion gas generator, 2 ... Ionization chamber, 3 ... X-ray tube (ionization source), 5 ... Air outlet, 6A, 6B ... Radiation shielding part, 7 ... Gas flow path, 61 ... Wave-like member, 61a, 61b: end of corrugated member, 61c: top of concave curved surface, 61d: top of convex curved surface, 62 ... spacer.

Claims (5)

An ion gas generator that generates ion gas by ionizing a gas flowing into an ionization chamber by radiation emitted from an ionization source, and blows out the ion gas from a blowout port of the ionization chamber,
It is arranged at the air outlet and includes a radiation shielding part that shields the radiation,
The radiation shielding portion has a plurality of wavy members in which a concave curved surface and a convex curved surface are continuous,
The plurality of wavy members are arranged in a direction intersecting with the blowing direction of the ion gas, and are arranged so that a gap as a gas flow path is formed between the adjacent wavy members,
In the arrangement direction of the plurality of wavy members, the convex of the other wavy member is between the top of the concave curved surface and the top of the convex curved surface of one of the adjacent wavy members. top of the curved surface is positioned,
The ion gas generator according to claim 1, wherein a radiation direction of the radiation from the ionization source is substantially parallel to an arrangement direction of the plurality of the wave members .   The ion gas generator according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of wavy members are arranged via spacers. The said spacer is provided in the position of the top part of the concave curved surface of the said corrugated member, or the convex curved surface between the both ends of the said several corrugated member in the blowing direction of the said ion gas. Ion gas generator. A plurality of end portions of the corrugated member, the ion gas generator of any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the top of the concave surface or convex surface. The ionization source, an ion gas generator of any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the X-ray tube.

Images