Method and system for conditioning air

1. An air conditioning method of regulating temperature and humidity of process air to deliver it as supply air, the air conditioning method comprising:

in an air conditioning system including:

measuring equipment that measures flow rates, pressures, temperatures, relative humidities of the process air and the supply air, a flow rate and a temperature of humidifier water, and an atmospheric pressure; and

an arithmetic unit that receives first measured values from the measuring equipment and calculates an absolute humidity x 1 of the process air, an absolute humidity x 2 of the supply air, an amount of the process air, a required amount of cooled-dehumidified air that corresponds to an amount of air that is required for cooling and dehumidifying out of the amount of the process air, a required amount of cooling-dehumidification-byproduct water that corresponds to an amount of water that is to be removed by cooling and dehumidifying, a required amount of cooled air that corresponds to an amount of air that is required for cooling out of the amount of the process air, and a required amount of humidification that corresponds to an amount of water that is to be added by humidifying,

the arithmetic unit previously storing relationship among the relative humidity of the process air, a ratio of a limit amount of cooled-dehumidified air that indicates the amount of air to be cooled and dehumidified at a minimum flow rate to the amount of the process air, and a dehumidification temperature, and calculating the required amount of cooled-dehumidified air based on the previously stored relationship and the first measured values from the measuring equipment,

when the absolute humidity x 1 of the process air is higher than the absolute humidity x 2 of the supply air, that is, x 1 ≧x 2 ,

causing the required amount of cooled-dehumidified air calculated by the arithmetic unit out of the amount of the process air to flow downstream as a main stream in a main-stream duct in which a cooling dehumidifying unit, a heater and a humidifier are mounted; and

causing the remainder of the amount of the process air, wherein the remainder of the amount of the process air is the amount of process air minus the required amount of cooled-dehumidified air, to flow downstream as a side stream in a side-stream duct in which a regulator is provided for regulating a flow rate of the process air in the side-stream duct, and

when the absolute humidity x 1 of the process air is lower than the absolute humidity x 2 of the supply air, that is, x 1 < x 2 ,

causing the required amount of cooled air out of the amount of the process air to flow downstream as a main stream in the main-stream duct in which a cooling unit, the heater and the humidifier are mounted; and

causing the remainder of the amount of the process air, wherein the remainder of the amount of the process air is the amount of process air minus the required amount of cooled air, to flow downstream as a side stream in the side-stream duct in which a flow-rate regulator is provided for regulating a flow rate of the process air in the side-stream duct.

2. The air conditioning method for regulating temperature and humidity of process air to deliver it as supply air, according to claim 1 ,

in the air conditioning system including:

the measuring equipment that measures a temperature of a merged flow after the process air flowing downstream through the main-stream duct and the process air flowing downstream through the side-stream duct merge with each other; and

the arithmetic unit that receives second measured values from the measuring equipment and calculates a required amount of heating energy for vaporization of the required amount of humidification as liquid, for an increase in temperature of (the required amount of cooled-dehumidified air)−(the required amount of cooling-dehumidification-byproduct-water)+(the required amount of humidification as gas) to a merged-flow temperature previously set in a range from a supply-air temperature indicated by the second measured values from the measuring equipment to 15° C. when x 1 ≧x 2 , and for an increase in temperature of (the required amount of cooled air) +(the required amount of humidification as gas) to a merged-flow temperature previously set in a range from a supply-air temperature indicated by the second measured values from the measuring equipment to 15° C. when x 1< x 2 ,

the air conditioning method further comprising:

actuating a heater controller in response to a signal indicative of the required amount of heating energy output from the arithmetic unit.

3. An air conditioning system of regulating temperature and humidity of process air to deliver it as supply air, the air conditioning system comprising:

measuring equipment that measures flow rates, pressures, temperatures, relative humidities of the process air and the supply air, a flow rate and a temperature of humidifier water, and an atmospheric pressure;

an arithmetic unit that receives first measured values from the measuring equipment and calculates an absolute humidity x 1 of the process air, an absolute humidity x 2 of the supply air, an amount of the process air, a required amount of cooled-dehumidified air that corresponds to an amount of air that is required for cooling and dehumidifying out of the amount of the process air, a required amount of cooling-dehumidification-byproduct water that corresponds to an amount of water that is to be removed by cooling and dehumidifying, a required amount of cooled air that corresponds to an amount of air that is required for cooling out of the amount of the process air, and a required amount of humidification that corresponds to an amount of water that is to be added by humidifying,

the arithmetic unit previously storing relationship among the relative humidity of the process air, a ratio of a limit amount of cooled-dehumidified air that indicates the amount of air to be cooled and dehumidified at a minimum flow rate to the amount of the process air, and a dehumidification temperature, and calculating the required amount of cooled-dehumidified air based on the previously stored relationship and the first measured values from the measuring equipment;

a cooling dehumidifying unit that is placed in a main-stream duct in which the required amount of cooled-dehumidified air calculated by the arithmetic unit out of the amount of the process air flows downstream as a main stream, when the absolute humidity x 1 of the process air is higher than the absolute humidity x 2 of the supply air, that is, x 1 ≧x 2

a heater placed in the main-stream duct;

a humidifier placed in the main-stream duct; and

a flow-rate regulator that is provided in the side-stream duct in which the remainder of the amount of the process air, wherein the remainder of the amount of the process air is the amount of process air minus the required amount of cooled-dehumidified air, flows downstream as a side stream, for regulating a flow rate of the process air in the side-stream duct;

a cooling unit that is placed in the main-stream duct in which the required amount of cooled air out of the amount of the process air flows downstream as a main stream, when the absolute humidity x 1 of the process air is lower than the absolute humidity x 2 of the supply air, that is, x 1 < x 2

the heater placed in the main-stream duct;

the humidifier placed in the main-stream duct; and

a flow-rate regulator that is provided in the side-stream duct in which the remainder of the amount of the process air, wherein the remainder of the amount of the process air is the amount of process air minus the required amount of cooled air, flows downstream as a side-stream, for regulating a flow rate of the process air in the side-stream duct.

4. The air conditioning system for regulating temperature and humidity of process air to deliver it as supply air, according to claim 3 , including:

the measuring equipment that measures a temperature of a merged flow after the process air flowing downstream through the main-stream duct and the process air flowing downstream through the side-stream duct merge with each other; and

the arithmetic unit that receives second measured values from the measuring equipment and calculates a required amount of heating energy for vaporization of the required amount of humidification as liquid, for an increase in temperature of (the required amount of cooled-dehumidified air) −(the required amount of cooling-dehumidification-byproduct water)+(the required amount of humidification as gas) to a merged-flow temperature previously set in a range from a supply-air temperature indicated by the second measured values from the measuring equipment to 15° C. when x 1 ≧x 2 , and for an increase in temperature of (the required amount of cooled air) +(the required amount of humidification as gas) to a merged-flow temperature previously set in a range from a supply-air temperature indicated by the second measured values from the measuring equipment to 15° C. when x 1< x 2 ,

the air conditioning system further comprising:

a heater controller that is actuated in response to a signal indicative of the required amount of heating energy output from the arithmetic unit.