JP5066910B2 - Radon mist generator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a radon mist generating apparatus that elutes a radon source that emits weak radiation into raw material water and uses it for the treatment of lifestyle-related diseases.

  Conventionally, it is known that limited natural facilities such as hot springs containing radioactive decay products such as radon have a healing effect on various diseases. In order to easily obtain the same effect as that of such a natural facility, an apparatus for artificially generating an aqueous solution containing a radioactive decay product has been proposed. For example, in patent document 1, the inside of the stirring tank set in the warm aqueous solution in the extraction tank is partitioned by the upper and lower filter plates, and the granular radioactive substance-containing ore is accommodated in the partition, and exists in the upper part of the extraction tank. The granular ore is agitated by pumping gas to the bottom side of the lower filter and spraying it into the agitation tank, while the aqueous solution derived from the bottom of the extraction tank is sprayed from above the extraction tank to spray the upper part of the extraction tank. An apparatus has been proposed in which a gaseous radioactive decay product eluted in a gas is melted in a warm aqueous solution.

  In the above device, it was intended to promote effective elution while stirring with bubbles while ensuring a wide contact area with the warm aqueous solution by granulating the radioactive material-containing ore. When the particle size is reduced, the aperture diameter of the upper and lower filter plates inevitably becomes finer. However, there is a drawback that the smaller the aperture diameter of the upper and lower filter plates, the more difficult the bubbles pass through.

  On the other hand, radium, which is a radon source, hardly dissolves in aqueous solution, but radon is well dissolved in water and easily evaporates in the air, so a method of using it as a mist has also been proposed. ing. Taking radon-dissolved warm water vapor as a mist sauna does not dilute weak radioactivity compared to immersing the body in a warm aqueous solution eluting radon, and radon reaches not only the body surface but also the respiratory system There is an advantage that it is easy to do. For example, Patent Document 2 proposes a sauna bath in which a seat and a mist generator are provided in a large box-shaped main body heated by a far-infrared heater. Moreover, in patent document 3, a patient is supine between the mat | matte installed in the airtight room | chamber interior, and the addition mat | matte, and radon hot spring water is poured into both mat | matte, and radon hot spring water is filled in mist form in the airtight room | chamber interior. Therefore, a weak radioactive spa facility that can inhale radon mist from the respiratory system together with a massage effect by the wave motion of radon hot spring has been proposed.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-48320 (Claims, column 5, line 25 to column 6, line 1, FIG. 1) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-38539 (claim for utility model registration, Fig. 2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-128375 (Claims, FIG. 2)

  When heating a warm aqueous solution from which radon has been eluted as in the conventional radon mist generator to achieve wet air formation (misting) containing water vapor, the radon elution process is long to ensure the necessary radon concentration. Since time is required, it is necessary to temporarily store a considerable amount of warm aqueous solution in preparation for use of the facility. In addition, there is a drawback in that if the stored hot water solution is used up, the use of the equipment must be stopped.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the problem is that a radon mist sauna bathing facility can be realized simply by being installed in a closed space such as a bathroom, while being compact. Another object of the present invention is to provide a radon mist generating apparatus capable of continuously obtaining a required amount of radon mist.

  In order to solve the expected problem, a radon mist generator according to the present invention includes a steam tank provided with a heating means for raw water supplied from the outside, and a radon provided with a porous ceramic panel carrying a radioactive substance. It comprised from a discharge tank, and let the moist air containing the water vapor | steam derived | led-out from the steam tank permeate | transmit the porous ceramic panel in a radon discharge tank, Then, it was made to jet out of a radon discharge tank.

  Here, the porous ceramic panel housed in the radon discharge tank is prepared by impregnating a porous organic substrate such as filter paper with an inorganic polymer as a ceramic precursor and firing it, or by using a ceramic powder and a powder binder. Are uniformly mixed at an appropriate ratio and pressed into a panel shape in a mold, or ceramic powder is uniformly mixed and dispersed in an organic binder dissolved in a solvent to form a ceramic slurry, which is extruded. What is obtained by a conventional method, such as a method of forming into a panel shape by, etc., and baking after drying is used. For example, a lightweight ceramic porous body (ceramic foam) having a porosity of 80% or more using alumina / cordierite is preferably used.

  In order to support radioactive materials on the porous ceramics panel, powder of natural radium ore such as Bad Gastein ore is mixed with silica fine powder or low melting glass fine powder dispersed in polyvinyl alcohol. Examples are a method of forming a slurry and applying this slurry solution to the porous ceramic panel or immersing the porous ceramic panel in the slurry solution, followed by drying and heating and sintering at about 200 ° C. .

  The porous ceramic panel loaded with a radioactive substance obtained as described above is supported stably by the chemical bonding of radium (Ra) on the outermost surface layer of the panel, while the relative permeation of air passing through the panel is relatively high. The higher the humidity, the higher the release amount of radon (Rn), a radium decay product nuclide. Therefore, in the present invention, the raw water is converted into water vapor by the heating means, and wet air containing the water vapor (Wet Air) is transmitted through the porous ceramic panel to effectively generate radon mist.

  Since the porous ceramic panel accommodated in the radon release tank has a legal restriction on the amount of radium supported per unit mass, it is necessary to use a panel within the legal restriction. Therefore, a plurality of panels are used in order to secure the required radon emission amount for the entire apparatus while suppressing the radon emission amount per panel within the legal regulations. In particular, in order to secure a large amount of radon emission, it is preferable to use a plurality of stacked layers while being separated.

  On the other hand, a porous ceramic panel carrying a radioactive substance as described above is characterized in that the amount of radon released into the permeating wet air is rather reduced when the panel surface is completely condensed. Therefore, in the radon mist generator according to the present invention, the humidity of wet air that permeates through the porous ceramic panel is measured, and humidity control is performed using a heating means.

  Specifically, a humidity sensor is arranged in the radon discharge tank, and the temperature of the heating means in the steam tank is controlled according to the humidity of the wet air that permeates the porous ceramic panel, or the lower part of the radon discharge tank A heater may be provided in the introduction path to enable humidity control of the wet air passing therethrough. When the wet air passing in this way is heated by a silicon rubber heater or the like, the humidity of the wet air in a state close to 100% humidity can be suppressed to, for example, about 80% and permeated through the porous ceramic panel. .

  In the radon mist generator according to the present invention, wet air containing water vapor derived from the steam tank is divided into two systems, and in the first system, the radon mist generator is introduced into the lower part of the radon discharge tank to permeate the porous ceramic panel. The second system is configured to directly eject outside the apparatus through a duct. According to the research results of the present inventors, it has been proved that the radon absorption rate in the human body is good when the indoor humidity is 70% or higher, so that a part of the humid air containing water vapor generated from the steam tank by the heating means is used as the device. It was made to jet directly into the room where was installed.

  As another configuration, wet air containing water vapor derived from the steam tank is directly ejected to the outside of the apparatus through the duct, while wet air introduced from the outside of the apparatus is introduced to the lower part of the radon discharge tank to form porous ceramics. It is also possible to make the panel transparent.

  By the way, when a plurality of patients are used intermittently as in a medical facility, for example, if the operation of the apparatus is temporarily stopped, a certain waiting time is required until the radon is filled again. On the other hand, if the apparatus is operated continuously, the generated radon mist is wasted. Therefore, in the radon mist generating apparatus according to the present invention, the radon outlet in the radon discharge tank can be opened and closed, and the radon discharge tank is vertically divided with the porous ceramic panel interposed therebetween, and the upper and lower parts are separated from the radon discharge tank. When the radon outlet was closed, the radon mist staying in the upper part of the radon discharge tank was led to the lower part of the radon discharge tank and circulated through the porous ceramic panel again.

  A high-concentration radon mist is stored in the upper part of the radon discharge tank by securing a space above and below the porous ceramic panel, which is singly or separately laminated, and circulating externally the wet air introduced into the radon discharge tank. In addition, when another patient performs a radon mist sauna bath after a temporary interruption, the radon spout is opened to instantaneously increase the radon concentration in the closed space where the apparatus is installed.

  The radon mist generator according to the present invention can have a compact configuration mainly consisting of only a steam tank and a radon discharge tank, and also includes wet air containing water vapor generated by heating means in the steam tank in the radon discharge tank. Radon mist can be continuously obtained by permeating through the contained porous ceramic panel carrying the radioactive substance.

  Further, by selecting the number of the porous ceramic panels that carry the radioactive substance, the desired radon concentration can be easily adjusted while matching the size of the closed space in which the apparatus is installed.

  The temperature sensor provided in the upper part of the radon discharge tank is used to control the temperature of the heating means in the steam tank, and the humidity control of the humid air passing through the heater provided in the introduction path of the wet air to the lower part of the radon discharge tank is performed. Since the radon emission amount increases as the humidity of the humid air increases, the radon emission amount decreases on the contrary when the surface condenses, and the feature of the porous ceramic panel can be utilized.

  In addition, the moisture in the closed space where the device is installed is rapidly increased by increasing the humidity inside the enclosed space where the wet air containing water vapor generated in the steam tank is directly blown out of the device, thereby improving the efficiency of radon absorption into the human body. The radon mist is concentrated while circulating externally in the radon discharge tank, so that the radon concentration in the enclosed space can be increased instantaneously when restarting after temporarily stopping the radon mist sauna bath. It is possible to easily obtain a high level of weak radiation therapy facility.

  Hereinafter, a radon mist generator according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic front sectional view showing an example of a radon mist generating apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic transverse sectional view taken along line A-A ′ in FIG. 1. As shown in the figure, in the radon mist generating apparatus of this example, the entire process from heating raw material water supplied from the outside to water vapor and ejecting radon mist obtained by allowing the water vapor to permeate the porous ceramic panel is performed. Can be realized in a single compact device, such as a bathroom in which the device is installed by mounting pieces 10 protruding in four places on the left and right sides while storing each operating part in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing. It is formed so that it can be fixed to the wall.

  First, in FIG. 1, a steam tank 1 provided with an electric heater 3 as a heating means near the bottom surface is disposed at a lower right position inside the apparatus which is divided into right and left at a substantially central position. The steam tank 1 is in the shape of a deep water tank covered with a heat insulating material, but the regulated water level during water supply and operation is set below the intermediate position in the depth direction. ) And a minimum water level (line L in FIG. 1), a water level sensing rod 11 is suspended. The outer wall located above the maximum water level is provided with an outside air inlet 12 that also serves as an overflow pipe assuming that the water level sensing rod 11 does not function, while the opposite inner wall has a steam delivery pipe. 61 is connected. The upper surface of the steam tank 1 that is fully opened for inspection and maintenance in the tank is closed with two lids 13 with a handle and rubber-sealed on all four sides, and the bottom surface of the steam tank 1 has a cock. A drain pipe 14 is provided.

  The left side of the device is a machine room. A water supply port 51 provided with a water supply electromagnetic valve 5 is provided at the lower left corner position, and a water supply pipe 52 extending from the water supply electromagnetic valve 5 is connected to a water injection port 53 in the steam tank 1. . In addition to the steam delivery pipe 61 connected from the steam tank 1 to the steam solenoid valve 6 in the machine room, two pipes are sandwiched from the inner wall of the steam tank 1 on the machine room side so as to sandwich the steam delivery pipe 61. The rectangular tube-shaped duct 7 is erected vertically and communicates with the outside of the apparatus.

  In the upper right position of the apparatus above the steam tank 1, there is disposed a radon discharge tank 2 having a sealed space in which only the bottom surface is open and the top surface is closed. In the radon release tank 2, a total of five porous ceramic panels 4 carrying a radioactive substance are stacked in a vertical direction while ensuring a gap between the panels. It will be selected according to the desired radon release amount. A radon mist staying space 21 is secured above the uppermost panel, and a jet outlet shutter 23 that closes the staying space 21 by rotating a handle 22 provided outside the radon discharge tank 2 is provided. By tilting and exposing the slit-shaped opening window, the staying space 21 communicates with the outside of the apparatus. A humidity sensor 24 is disposed in the stay space 21.

  A mist delivery pipe 63 extending from the inner wall on the machine room side to the steam solenoid valve 6 is connected to the stay space 21 that is the upper part of the radon discharge tank 2. The steam electromagnetic valve 6 and the lower part of the radon discharge tank 2 are also connected by a steam introduction pipe 62, and a blower fan 8 and a silicon rubber heater 9 are disposed in the middle of the steam introduction pipe 62.

  In order to operate the radon mist generating apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above, first, raw water is supplied from the water supply port 51 into the steam tank 1 by being connected to a water pipe. Since the water supply amount is monitored by the water level sensing rod 11, the water supply electromagnetic valve 52 is activated when the maximum water level is reached, and the water supply is stopped.On the other hand, the water supply electromagnetic valve 52 is activated when the minimum water level is reached due to heating evaporation. Water supply will be performed.

  The raw material water supplied by a predetermined amount is heated by the electric heater 3 to generate water vapor. The steam filled in the steam tank 1 is mixed with air flowing from the outside air inlet 12 to become wet air, and as a first system, the steam in the steam inlet pipe 62 passes from the steam delivery pipe 61 through the steam solenoid valve 6. It is introduced into the lower part of the radon discharge tank 2 by the fan 8. At this time, the wet air is heated by the silicon rubber heater 9 disposed in the steam introduction pipe 62, so that the humidity of the wet air is, for example, 80%, and the level of the porous ceramic panel 4 can be maximized. Adjusted to Thereafter, the humid air rising in the radon discharge tank 2 passes through the porous ceramic panel 4 and becomes radon mist to reach the staying space 21 of the radon discharge tank 2, so that the jet shutter 23 is opened by operating the handle 22. Then, radon mist is ejected out of the apparatus.

  The humidity of the radon mist is automatically controlled by the humidity sensor 24 provided in the stay space 21. For example, as described above, when the porous ceramic panel 4 having the largest radon emission amount at 80% humidity is used, when the humidity of the radon mist measured by the humidity sensor 24 reaches 85%, the electric heater 3 in the steam tank 2 is used. The electricity supply to the electric heater 3 is resumed when the humidity of the radon mist reaches 75%.

  On the other hand, wet air with water vapor filled in the steam tank 1 is directly ejected from the two ducts 7 as the second system to the outside of the apparatus, and the humidity rises in a closed room such as a bathroom where the apparatus is installed. Contribute to.

  By the way, if the outlet shutter 23 in the radon discharge tank 2 is not opened, the generated radon mist stays in the stay space 21 above the radon discharge tank 2. Therefore, by operating the steam electromagnetic valve 6, radon mist is introduced from the mist delivery pipe 63 into the lower part of the radon discharge tank 1 through the steam introduction pipe 62 and circulated so as to permeate the porous ceramic panel 4 again. A radon mist having a concentration can be generated and stored in the staying space 21. In order to improve the airtightness of the staying space 21, a rubber seal is preferably applied to the mounting portion of the porous ceramics panel 4 and the fin end of the jet nozzle 23.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic front sectional view showing another example of the radon mist generating apparatus according to the present invention. Compared with the apparatus of the previous example, the steam tank 1 and the radon discharge tank 2 are not connected in the apparatus, and air outside the apparatus is directly introduced into the lower part of the radon discharge tank 2. Is the biggest difference.

  That is, raw water such as tap water is monitored by two high and low water level sensing rods 11 and 11 from the water supply port 51 via the water supply electromagnetic valve 52 and the water supply pipe 53 to the steam tank 1 while monitoring the water supply amount. However, in this apparatus, a blower fan 15 is provided at the outside air inlet 12 in that the water vapor is heated and heated by the electric heater 3 to form water vapor. The difference is that the entire amount of wet air containing water vapor in the steam tank 1 is directly ejected from the two ducts 7 to the outside of the apparatus by the blowing pressure. The steam tank 1 is used only for the purpose of increasing humidity in a closed room such as a bathroom where the apparatus is installed, and is separated from the radon mist generation / control function in the radon discharge tank 2.

  Therefore, when the humidity in the room in which the apparatus is installed is sufficiently increased, the blower fan 8 is operated to introduce wet air outside the apparatus from the garage 64 through the steam introduction pipe 62 to the lower portion of the radon discharge tank 2. . At this time, the humidity of the wet air is adjusted to a level at which the capacity of the porous ceramic panel 4 can be maximized by heating the wet air with the silicon rubber heater 9 disposed in the steam introduction pipe 62.

  The porous ceramic panel 4 in the apparatus of this example is divided into a total of four blocks, and the other end of the flexible hose 41 connected to the upper end portion of each block is attached to the side wall surface of the radon discharge tank 2. It is connected to the blower fan 43 (or air pump). Since the side surface of each block and the mounting portion of the porous ceramic panel 4 are hermetically sealed by a rubber seal or the like, the humid air surely passes through the porous ceramic panel 4. A flexible hose 42 is further extended below the ejection fan 43, and the other end is connected to the mist delivery pipe 63.

  The ejection fan 43 communicates with the outside of the apparatus through a radon ejection port equipped with an ejection shutter (not shown) .The actuator 44 opens and closes the ejection shutter and opens and closes the flow path to the flexible hose 42 side. It is configured to be switched. In other words, the radon mist sucked from the flexible hose 41 can be ejected outside the apparatus by closing the communication path to the flexible hose 42 when the ejection shutter is opened, while the flexible hose 42 is ejected when the ejection shutter is closed. The radon mist sucked from the flexible hose 41 can be sent to the mist delivery pipe 63 by opening the flow path to the side.

  On the other hand, a switching shutter 32 that is rotated between the horizontal position and the vertical position by the operation of the actuator 31 is provided at the connecting portion between the mist delivery pipe 63 and the steam introduction pipe 62, and the flow path to the lower part of the radon discharge tank 2 Can be switched between the steam introduction pipe 62 for introducing the humid air outside the apparatus and the mist delivery pipe 63 through which the radon mist is sent through the ejection fan 43 in the upper part of the radon discharge tank 2.

  Therefore, in the normal operation state, the switching shutter 32 is held in a horizontal position, and the air blown by the blower fan 8 causes the wet air outside the apparatus (water vapor previously generated in the steam tank 1 to be ejected from the duct 7 to fill the room. Is introduced into the lower part of the radon discharge tank 2 through the steam introduction pipe 62. The humid air whose humidity has been adjusted by the silicon rubber heater 9 passes through the porous ceramics panel 4 to become Radon mist, and is forcedly sucked from the flexible hose 41 by the blow fan 43 and then out of the apparatus from the opened jet shutter. It will be ejected. In this way, in the closed space where the apparatus is installed, wet air circulates inside and outside the apparatus, and passes through the porous ceramic panel 4 several times, and radon mist having a high radon concentration is ejected.

  On the other hand, when performing a preparatory operation to increase the humidity in the enclosed space, or when the user does not need to eject radon mist because the user has temporarily stopped, but is performing an operation in preparation for the next resumption of use, the switching shutter The radon mist that has passed through the porous ceramics panel 4 is forcedly circulated in the apparatus through the ejection fan 43 by holding the 32 in a vertical state and closing the ejection shutter to open the flow path to the flexible hose 42. However, high concentration radon mist can be produced.

It is the front view schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which showed an example of the radon mist generator concerning this invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ in FIG. 1. It is the front view schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which showed the other example of the radon mist generator based on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steam tank 2 Radon discharge tank 3 Electric heater 4 Porous ceramics panel 5 Water supply solenoid valve 6 Steam solenoid valve 7 Duct 8, 15 Blower fan 9 Silicon rubber heater 10 Mounting piece 11 Water level detection rod 12 Outside air inlet 13 Cover 14 Drain pipe 21 Retaining space 22 Handle 23 Jet outlet shutter 24 Temperature sensor 31 Actuator 32 Switching shutter 41, 42 Flexible hose 43 Jet fan 51 Water supply port 52 Water supply solenoid valve 53 Water supply pipe 54 Water injection port 61 Steam delivery pipe 62 Steam introduction pipe 63 Mist Delivery pipe

Claims (5)

  It consists of a steam tank equipped with heating means for raw material water supplied from the outside and a radon discharge tank equipped with a porous ceramic panel carrying a radioactive substance. The radon discharge tank in the radon discharge tank can be opened and closed, and the radon discharge tank is partitioned vertically by sandwiching the porous ceramic panel. By connecting the upper part and the lower part outside the radon discharge tank, when the radon outlet is closed, the radon mist staying at the upper part of the radon discharge tank is guided to the lower part of the radon discharge tank and again permeated through the porous ceramic panel. Radon mist generator designed to circulate. Porous ceramic panels to be accommodated in the radon release tank is, claim 1 Symbol placement Radonmisuto generating device in which stacked while separating the plurality. The radon mist generator according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the humidity of wet air that permeates through the porous ceramic panel is measured, and the humidity is controlled by a heating means. Wet air containing water vapor derived from the steam tank is divided into two systems. In the first system, it is introduced into the lower part of the radon discharge tank and permeates the porous ceramic panel. 4. The radon mist generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the radon mist generator is directly ejected to the surface. Wet air containing water vapor derived from the steam tank is directly blown out of the apparatus through the duct, while wet air introduced from outside the apparatus is introduced into the lower part of the radon discharge tank to permeate the porous ceramic panel. The radon mist generator according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .