JP4406471B2 - Clean room cooling system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cooling device for a clean room, and in particular, a local area for a clean room for preventing the temperature of the air in the clean room from becoming non-uniform due to exhaust heat released from a heat source such as a device installed in the clean room. It relates to a cooling device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A clean room used as an IC manufacturing room or the like needs to be clean with respect to dust and fine particles, but it is also necessary to keep humidity and temperature within a predetermined range. Therefore, the clean room includes an air purification device and an air conditioning device.
[0003]
On the other hand, IC manufacturing apparatuses, various inspection apparatuses, and the like are installed in the clean room. However, some of these devices generate considerable heat and may become a heat source in the clean room. Conventionally, exhaust heat released from these devices (heat generation sources) is diffused naturally in the clean room to regulate the temperature of the entire clean room.
[0004]
However, this is not only inefficient, but also the hot air generated from the heat source rises and diffuses, resulting in non-uniform temperature distribution in the clean room and uneven temperature. Non-uniform temperature in the clean room causes a thermal expansion of the material and the semi-finished product, resulting in a decrease in product yield in precision processing.
[0005]
Therefore, a local cooling device is installed in the vicinity of the device that becomes the heat source, and the high temperature air discharged from the device that becomes the heat source is locally cooled so that the exhaust heat released from the heat source does not diffuse into the clean room. A technology has been developed in which the air is cooled and then discharged into a clean room, and is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-137980.
[0006]
This publication shows an example in which an IC tester installed in a clean room serves as a heat source, and this local cooling device cools high temperature air discharged from the IC tester and discharges it to the clean room.
[0007]
Conventional local cooling devices are fixed in a clean room and are immovable, and require a cooling source (refrigerant) dedicated to the local cooling device.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, if the local cooling device is made immovable, there is a problem that it becomes an obstacle at the time of maintenance when a device as a heat source requires maintenance like an IC tester.
[0009]
In addition, when a dedicated cooling source is required for the local cooling device, there will be no particular problem when a clean room is newly established. However, when the number of IC testers is increased in an existing clean room, a large-scale construction is required. As a result, there were problems such as enormous costs.
[0010]
The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a local cooling device for a clean room that can be easily installed and easily moved as necessary. .
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.
The local cooling device for a clean room according to the present invention is configured so that a local cooling unit having a dry cooler and a blower can be moved by self-propelled means, and the local cooling unit is installed in the vicinity of a heat generation source in the clean room. A refrigerant inlet part of the cooler is detachably connected to a refrigerant supply pipe to a heat exchanger that regulates the air in the clean room by a pipe connecting means, and the refrigerant to the heat exchanger is dried and the refrigerant of the cooler The local cooling unit sucked in high-temperature air discharged from the heat source, cooled it with the dry cooler, and discharged the cooled air into the clean room with the blower.
[0012]
The local cooling unit can be easily moved to the desired position by self-propelled means, so it is necessary when installing the local cooling unit in a clean room or when maintaining the local cooling unit itself or nearby equipment. Can be moved easily. Further, if the pipe connecting means is appropriately operated, the local cooling unit can be disconnected from the refrigerant supply pipe to the heat exchanger, and the movement of the local cooling unit is not hindered by the piping.
[0013]
Since the refrigerant for the heat exchanger for controlling the clean room is dried and used as the refrigerant for the cooler, it is easy to cope with the expansion of the local cooler for the clean room and the equipment cost can be reduced.
[0014]
A fan or a pressure fan can be exemplified as the blower, and a caster can be exemplified as the self-propelled means.
A dry cooler is a cooler that cools the air while keeping the outer surface temperature of the cooler always higher than the dew point of the air, and prevents moisture in the air from condensing on the outer surface of the cooler. . This suppresses humidity fluctuations in the clean room.
[0015]
There are no particular limitations on the heat source, which may be any manufacturing apparatus, some testing apparatus, or electrical equipment.
Moreover, the local cooling device for a clean room according to the present invention may be configured such that the heat source in the clean room is installed on a gantry so that heat can be exhausted from the bottom of the heat source, and the local cooling unit is disposed lower than the heat source. Good. In this way, it is possible to forcibly discharge the hot air from the heat source once downward, prevent heat diffusion from above the heat source, and treat it at a temperature equivalent to room temperature near the bottom. Can do. Also, even if the refrigerant in the local refrigerant unit leaks due to aging of the unit, pressure fluctuations in the pipe, or unexpected shocks, or if condensation occurs in the local cooling unit and this condensed water drips , They never fall on the heat source.
[0016]
Furthermore, in the local cooling device for a clean room according to the present invention, the clean room has a main room having a high degree of cleanness, and a sub room provided under the floor of the main room and positioned downstream of the air flow of the main room. You may make it install the heat source in a clean room.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a local cooling device for a clean room according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS.
[0018]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an IC manufacturing building. In this embodiment, a work room (main room) 2 in which an IC manufacturing apparatus (not shown) is installed, and a lower part formed under the floor of the work room 2. A clean room 1 is constituted by a return plenum chamber (subroom) 3. A large number of ventilation holes 6a are provided in the partition wall 6 partitioning the work chamber 2 and the lower return plenum chamber 3 so that air can flow between them. The partition wall 6 has a known structure including a steel material erected on a building beam and a grating floor placed and fixed on the steel material.
[0019]
Return shafts 4 are provided on both sides of the clean room 1, and an upper return plenum chamber 5 is provided above the work chamber 2. The upper return plenum chamber 5 includes a plurality of fan filter units 7 as air purification devices. is set up.
[0020]
The air in the upper return plenum chamber 5 is made clean air through the fan filter unit 7 and supplied to the working chamber 2. The clean air flows from the work chamber 2 to the lower return plenum chamber 3 through the ventilation holes 6a, passes through the return shaft 4, and returns to the work chamber 2 through the upper return plenum chamber 5 and the fan filter unit 7 again. It has become. That is, the working chamber 2, the lower return plenum chamber 3, the return shaft 4, and the upper return plenum chamber 5 constitute a clean air circulation path. From this air path, the working chamber 2 has a higher degree of cleanliness than the lower return plenum chamber 3.
[0021]
Also, outside air is introduced into the lower return plenum chamber 3 through an external air conditioner 8 installed outside the building. The external air conditioner 8 includes a filter that removes particles and gaseous impurities from the outside air, a temperature control unit that adjusts air to a predetermined temperature range, and a humidity control unit that adjusts air to a predetermined humidity range (both shown in FIG. Clean air from which the temperature has been adjusted and impurities have been removed is supplied to the lower return plenum chamber 3.
[0022]
A dry coil (heat exchanger) 9 is installed between the lower return plenum chamber 3 and the return shaft 4, and the entire amount of clean air flowing from the lower return plenum chamber 3 to the return shaft 4 is the dry coil 9. Is supposed to pass through.
[0023]
The dry coil 9 is a well-known heat exchanger that is conventionally used exclusively for removing sensible heat in a clean room (the coil surface temperature is maintained at a temperature higher than the dew point of the air in the clean room, Heat exchanger used without condensation.
[0024]
For example, 12 ° C. cold water is supplied to the dry coil 9 via a cold water supply pipe (refrigerant supply pipe) 11 from a cold water temperature adjusting device 10 such as an air cooling chiller installed outside the building. The cold water heated to 19 ° C. by heat exchange is returned to the cold water temperature adjusting device 10 via the cold water return pipe 16 so that the dry coil 9 adjusts the temperature of clean air in the circulation system. It has become. The cold water supply pipe 11 and the cold water return pipe 16 are installed along the ceiling surface of the lower return plenum chamber 3.
[0025]
An IC tester 40 is installed in the clean room 1. The IC tester 40 includes an IC (not shown) as a test object and a handling unit 41 that electrically connects the IC and the IC tester 40, and an IC based on input / output signals to the handling unit 41. It is comprised from the arithmetic control part 42 which performs the program which performs various tests. The arithmetic control unit 42 of the IC tester 20 generates heat, and constitutes a heat generation source in this embodiment. On the other hand, the heat generated by the handling unit 41 is negligible for the production process.
[0026]
Since the handling unit 41 needs to be mounted with an IC manufactured in the work chamber 2, it is installed in the work chamber 2 because of its workability. On the other hand, it is not preferable to install the arithmetic control unit 42 which is a heat generation source in the work room 2 where the IC manufacturing apparatus is installed and which requires stricter temperature management. Has been. The handling unit 41 and the calculation control unit 42 are electrically connected by a cable 43.
[0027]
The calculation control unit 42 is installed on a gantry 44 fixed to the floor surface 3 a of the lower return plenum chamber 3, and is located away from the floor surface 3 a of the lower return plenum chamber 3. The calculation control unit 42 includes a fan 42 a inside, sucks air from the upper and side portions of the calculation control unit 42, cools the calculation control unit 42, and discharges warm air from the bottom 42 b of the calculation control unit 42. It is configured.
[0028]
A local cooling unit 30 (hereinafter, abbreviated as a cooling unit) for cooling the exhaust heat released from the bottom 42b of the calculation control unit 42 is installed on the immediate side of the gantry 44. 2 is an enlarged front view around the cooling unit 30, and FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof.
[0029]
The cooling unit 30 has a base 31 with a caster (self-propelled means) 32 attached to the bottom, and is configured to be movable by the caster 32. The caster 32 includes a lock mechanism (not shown), and the cooling unit 30 can be made immovable by operating the lock mechanism as necessary.
[0030]
On the base 31, a dry coil (dry cooler) 33 is installed on the side close to the arithmetic control unit 42, and two pressure fans (blowers) 34 are installed on the opposite side. The air volume of the pressure fan 34 is set to be substantially the same as the air volume of the fan 42 a of the calculation control unit 42 of the IC tester 40. The cooling unit 30 configured as described above has an overall width that is substantially the same as the overall width of the arithmetic control unit 42, and the overall height is slightly higher than the overall height of the gantry 44.
[0031]
The function of the dry coil 33 is the same as that of the dry coil 9 described above, and the coil surface temperature is maintained at a temperature higher than the dew point of the air in the lower return plenum chamber 3 to prevent condensation on the outer surface of the coil. This is a heat exchanger dedicated to removing sensible heat. Cold water is supplied to the dry coil 33 from a cold water inlet pipe (refrigerant inlet) 35, and the cold water that has passed through the dry coil 33 is returned from the cold water outlet pipe 36.
[0032]
The cold water inlet pipe 35 and the cold water outlet pipe 36 are connected to the cold water supply pipe 11 or the cold water return pipe 16, respectively. More specifically, the cold water supply pipe 11 is branched above the cooling unit 30, and the cold water supply branch pipe 12 is fixed along the ceiling of the lower return plenum chamber 3. A manual ball valve 13 is provided in the middle of the cold water supply branch 12. One end of a pressure hose (pipe connecting means) 14 is connected and fixed to the distal end portion 12 a of the cold water supply branch pipe 12, and a one-touch joint (pipe connecting means) 15 is fixed to the other end of the pressure resistant hose 14. A receiver 35a for the one-touch joint 15 is fixed to the tip of the cold water inlet pipe 35, and the pressure hose 14 and the cold water inlet pipe 35 can be easily connected by inserting the one-touch joint 15 into the receiver 35a. Further, the pressure hose 14 can be easily detached from the cold water inlet pipe 35 by pulling out the one-touch joint 15 from the receiving member 35a. The one-touch joint 15 has a built-in self-standing valve (not shown) that is normally urged in the valve closing direction. When the one-touch joint 15 is inserted into the receiving member 35a, the self-standing valve opens and the one-touch joint is opened. 15 is pulled out from the receiving tool 35a, the self-standing valve is closed.
[0033]
On the other hand, the cold water return pipe 16 is branched above the cooling unit 30, and the cold water return branch pipe 17 is fixed along the ceiling of the lower return plenum chamber 3. A manual ball valve 18 and a flow control valve 19 are provided in the middle of the cold water return branch pipe 17. One end of a pressure-resistant hose 20 is connected and fixed to the distal end portion 17 a of the cold water return branch pipe 17, and a one-touch joint 21 is fixed to the other end of the pressure-resistant hose 20. A receiving tool 36a for the one-touch joint 21 is fixed to the tip of the cold water outlet pipe 36. By inserting the one-touch joint 21 into the receiving tool 36a, the pressure hose 20 and the cold water outlet pipe 36 can be easily connected. Further, the pressure hose 14 can be easily detached from the cold water outlet pipe 36 by pulling out the one-touch joint 21 from the receiving tool 36a. The one-touch joint 21 is the same as the one-touch joint 15 and includes a self-standing valve (not shown) that opens and closes when the one-touch joint 21 is attached and detached.
[0034]
In the cooling unit 30 configured as described above, a part of 12 ° C. cold water flowing through the cold water supply pipe 11 is supplied to the dry coil 33 from the cold water inlet pipe 35 through the cooling supply branch pipe 12 and the pressure hose 14. The On the other hand, the high temperature air discharged from the bottom 42 b of the calculation control unit 42 of the IC tester 40 by the rotation of the pressure fan 34 is sucked into the dry coil 33 of the cooling unit 30, and the air around the dry coil 33 and When passing between the coils, heat exchange is performed between the cold water flowing in the dry coil 33 and the air. Then, the cooled air is discharged to the lower return plenum chamber 3 by the pressure fan 34. On the other hand, the chilled water heated to 19 ° C., for example, merges from the chilled water outlet pipe 36 to the chilled water return pipe 16 through the pressure hose 20 and the chilled water return branch pipe 17 and returns to the chilled water temperature control apparatus 10.
[0035]
A temperature sensor 50 is installed in the lower return plenum chamber 3 in the vicinity of the air blowing side of the cooling unit 30, and an automatic controller (not shown) opens the flow control valve 19 based on the output signal of the temperature sensor 50. By controlling the degree of feedback, the flow rate of the cold water supplied to the drying coil 33 is automatically controlled, and the temperature of the air discharged from the cooling unit 30 is controlled within a predetermined temperature range.
[0036]
In this manner, the exhaust heat released from the calculation control unit 42 can be locally cooled by the cooling unit 30 before being diffused into the lower return plenum chamber 3. Therefore, the capacity (capability) of the dry coil 9 that controls the temperature of the entire clean air in the circulation system can be reduced.
[0037]
In this clean room local cooling apparatus, since the caster 32 is provided in the cooling unit 30, the cooling unit 30 can be easily moved to a desired installation position during construction.
[0038]
Further, the cold water supply branch 12 and the cold water inlet pipe 35 of the cooling unit 30 are connected via the pressure hose 14 and the one-touch joint 15, and the cold water return branch 17 and the cold water outlet pipe 36 of the cooling unit 30 are connected to the pressure hose 20 and the one touch. Since they are connected via the joint 21, the chilled water supply branch 12, the chilled water return branch 17, and the cooling unit 30 can be easily connected and disconnected as necessary, during maintenance of the arithmetic control unit 42 and the cooling unit. During the maintenance of 30, the cooling unit 30 can be easily moved by the casters 32 to a position where maintenance is easy. Further, when the installation position of the IC tester 40 is changed, the installation position of the cooling unit 30 can be easily changed accordingly.
[0039]
Furthermore, since the cold water flowing through the dry coil 33 of the cooling unit 30 is taken from the cold water supply pipe 11 of the dry coil 9, it is possible to easily cope with the increase in the number of IC testers 40 and the cost. Can be cheap.
[0040]
Further, since the one-touch joints 15 and 21 have built-in self-standing valves, when the one-touch joints 15 and 21 are pulled out from the holders 35a and 36a of the cold water inlet pipe 35 and the cold water outlet pipe 36, Therefore, it is not necessary to drain the pressure hoses 14 and 20 before removing the one-touch joints 15 and 21.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the local cooling device for a clean room of the present invention, the local cooling unit having a dry cooler and a blower is configured to be movable by self-propelled means, and the local cooling unit is a heat source in the clean room. The refrigerant inlet portion of the dry cooler is detachably connected to the refrigerant supply pipe to the heat exchanger that regulates the temperature of the air in the clean room by a pipe connecting means, to the heat exchanger. The local cooling unit sucks high-temperature air released from the heat source, cools it with the dry cooler, and discharges the cooled air to the clean room with the blower. By doing so, when installing the local cooling unit in a clean room, or maintaining the local cooling unit itself or nearby equipment. Such as when Nsu can easily move the local cooling units if necessary. In addition, since the refrigerant for the heat exchanger for clean room temperature control is used as the refrigerant for the dry cooler, it is easy to cope with the expansion of the local cooler for the clean room and the equipment cost can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an IC manufacturing building in which a clean room local cooling device of the present invention is installed.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the periphery of the local cooler for a clean room according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a plan view around a local cooler for a clean room according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Clean room 2 Work room (main room)
3 Lower return plenum chamber (subroom)
9 Drying coil (heat exchanger)
11 Cold water supply pipe (refrigerant supply pipe)
14 Pressure hose (pipe connection means)
15 One-touch joint (pipe connection means)
30 Local cooling unit 32 Casters (self-propelled means)
33 Dry coil (dry cooler)
34 Pressure fan (blower)
35 Cold water inlet pipe (refrigerant inlet)
42 Arithmetic control unit (heat source)
44 frame

Claims (4)

A heat exchanger that regulates the temperature of the air in the clean room,
A refrigerant supply pipe that is provided in the clean room and supplies a refrigerant composed of cold water to the heat exchanger;
A local cooling unit installed near the heat source in the clean room and having a dry cooler and a blower, and
The local cooling unit is movable on the floor of the clean room, the refrigerant inlet portion of the drying cooler to be circulated as a refrigerant cooler dry the refrigerant supplied to the heat exchanger, the refrigerant supply tube The pipe connecting means having a self-standing valve urged in the normally closed direction, is detachably connected by the pipe connecting means in the clean room, and sucks high-temperature air released from the heat source It is cooled by a dry cooler, and the exhausted heat released from the heat source is prevented from diffusing into the clean room by discharging the cooled air to the clean room with the blower .
The heat source is installed on a gantry and can be thermally exhausted from the bottom of the heat source, and the local cooling unit is disposed at a lower position than the heat source,
The air regulated by the heat exchanger is supplied into the clean room downward from above the clean room via a circulation path . The clean room has a main room with a high degree of cleanness, and a sub room that is provided under the floor of the main room and is located downstream of the air flow of the main room,
The heat source includes a handling unit for mounting the test target, and an arithmetic control unit for executing a program for testing the test target based on an input signal to the handling unit,
The handling unit is installed in the main room,
The arithmetic processing unit, the installed in Saburumu and clean room cooling system of claim 1, wherein Rukoto placed on the pedestal. The width of the local cooling unit is at least the same as the width of the heat generation source, and the height of the local cooling unit is higher than the height of the gantry. Cooling system. The dry cooler is installed on the arithmetic processing unit side, the fan is disposed on the opposite side, and the air volume of the fan is set to be the same as the air volume of the fan of the arithmetic processing unit. The cooling device for a clean room according to claim 2.

Images