HK1081838B - Recreation room and method for controlling the atmosphere in the room - Google Patents

Description

Library room and method for conditioning air in a Library room

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for conditioning the room air of a librarian room, whereby the room air is supplemented with nitrogen or a nitrogen-containing, carbon dioxide-depleted gas mixture continuously or at repeated intervals such that the oxygen content of the room air is less than 20.9%. The invention also relates to a room in which a person or an animal resides, in particular a gymnasium for physical training filled with room air and requiring to maintain an oxygen partial pressure lower than the ambient external atmospheric pressure. The invention finally also relates to an indoor air-conditioning arrangement for such a library room.

A room here means a room in which a person or an animal can stay. A library room is also understood to be a physical training venue in particular.

Background

Sports stadiums are generally known in which the partial pressure of oxygen in the indoor air is lower than that of the surrounding atmosphere. Methods of regulating such low oxygen partial pressures in a library room are also known.

A simple way is to adjust the pressure of the whole air in the room below the ambient atmospheric pressure. In this way the air pressure in the room is adjusted with a compression ratio similar to higher. In order to reduce the overall air pressure in the museum, the museum must be hermetically sealed. This is expensive. Air exchange in a sports stadium requires considerable costs.

It has been proposed, for example in EP0959862 and EP0789546, not to reduce the pressure in the entire chamber, but to reduce the partial pressure of oxygen in the chamber by increasing the partial pressure of nitrogen. The results show that the proposed method is not only expensive to operate, but also more expensive to run.

Disclosure of Invention

Based on this prior art, the object underlying the invention is to provide a method of the type mentioned at the outset and a hotel room and room air-conditioning system which make it possible to operate the hotel room with a low oxygen content as cost-effectively as possible.

According to the invention, this task is achieved by a method of the initially mentioned field, in which methodIn the method, at least one point in the room is regulated for an overpressure relative to the surrounding atmospheric pressure. Initially the carbon dioxide concentration in the room air is adjusted to below 0.04% by volume and then the CO is added₂Is adjusted to below a predetermined limit value of at most 1 to 0.65% by volume. The desired indoor oxygen content and the desired carbon dioxide content are adjusted by uniformly supplementing the indoor air, preferably by forced circulation of the indoor air.

The invention is based on the recognition that a small overpressure, for example 10 to 100 hectopascal (hPa), can be achieved without excessive spatial sealing, and that the unsealed room left in the room provides a constant air exchange in the room, since the room air flows out through the unsealed room and the ambient air from the outside atmosphere flows into the room again, thereby replacing the room air.

The room air is preferably conveyed in a forced circulation and the nitrogen-containing carbon dioxide-lean mixed gas is replenished in a forced circulation. The air exchange in the room in a forced circulation is regulated in such a way that the air is distributed substantially uniformly in the room.

By nitrogen-containing carbon dioxide-lean mixed gas is meant a gas having a greater nitrogen content relative to the outside or ambient air.

The carbon dioxide content of the indoor air is preferably adjusted such that during forced circulation of the indoor air, a portion of the indoor air is replaced with carbon dioxide-depleted air in the external atmosphere, which has a typical oxygen content. The part of the room air which is exchanged by forced circulation is adjusted in such a way that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the room air is initially less than 0.04% by volume and then kept below a predetermined limit value which is at most 1 to 0.65% by volume.

The carbon dioxide content of the air can also be reduced by chemical means, in particular with the aid of special limestone.

The forced circulation of the introduced room air is preferably subjected to a controlled ionization process so that the room air, which has a reduced oxygen content relative to the outside atmosphere and a lower carbon dioxide content, maintains a higher air quality over a larger air circulation period. By controlled ionization, in particular, the hydrocarbon content of the room air can be reduced. In this sense, the quality of carbon oxides and bacteria in the room air is taken as a criterion for the air quality. The mixing of the mixed gas prepared for supplementing the room air is preferably carried out under overpressure or underpressure.

The mixing is preferably carried out in a mixing chamber, into which the mixed components of the mixed gas are supplied according to the desired mixture ratio in the mixing chamber under overpressure or underpressure. If the mixing of the gas mixture takes place at an overpressure, the components are fed in at different overpressures of the mixing chamber. If the chamber in the mixing chamber is at negative pressure, different mixed gas components are fed in at different negative pressures of the mixing chamber. Preferably, one gas mixture component is the total air of the external atmosphere and the other gas mixture component is nitrogen.

In a preferred method, the air is separated by means of a separating device to produce a nitrogen-containing gas mixture, which is supplied with room air in forced circulation, into which ambient air or nitrogen or a nitrogen-containing gas mixture is admixed in an amount corresponding to the equivalents of the oxygen-rich constituents removed in the air separation process. In this way, the separation device can be used to generate room air with a low oxygen partial pressure.

It is considered in determining the equivalent weight of the high oxygen-containing air to be removed in the air separation that the high oxygen-containing removal gas flow rate from the separation unit is not the only rate of the exhaust air. More precisely, it is necessary to supplement the exhaust air flow rate of the circulating air discharged from the separating device several times with fresh ambient air (fresh air flow rate) or also with a nitrogen-enriched gas mixture, so that there is at least one second exhaust air flow rate branching off from the circulating air flow rate, which serves as a compensated flow balance together with the exhaust air flow rate discharged from the separating device and the leakage flow rate.

In a preferred method, a nitrogen-containing gas mixture is prepared from the surrounding air by separating the air, for which purpose the aforementioned separation apparatus can be used.

In connection with the just mentioned method, an oxygen-enriched gas mixture is fed into a second chamber, the oxygen content of which in the air separation is greater than 21% by volume. In the second chamber is mainly an atmosphere with a high oxygen content, which is used for specific purposes, e.g. medical treatment.

The oxygen-enriched room air in the second room is also treated the same as the air in the less oxygen-enriched room.

Preferably, at least one property of the circulating air, for example the air humidity, the air temperature, etc., is determined and controlled in a regulated manner.

According to the invention, the above-mentioned object is also achieved by a living room as mentioned above, in particular a gymnasium, which is designed such that it can have at least a small overpressure relative to the outside atmosphere surrounding the living room, at least for a short time. The room is connected with an indoor air conditioning device through an air inlet and an air outlet, and the indoor air conditioning device adjusts the indoor air of the room so that the oxygen partial pressure of the room is smaller than that of the outside atmosphere.

In the present invention, a room that can be kept at least for a short time at least a small overpressure relative to the outside atmosphere surrounding the room is a room that is sufficiently sealed in operation to ensure a leak rate of less than 10%, preferably less than 5%. The ratio of leakage flow to total flow to the room in operation is called the leakage rate. The total flow out of the room includes the circulation air flow in addition to the leakage flow already mentioned above. This is specifically evacuated from the library for regeneration in the circulating air process.

Preferably, sensors are arranged in the library room for monitoring the oxygen concentration or the oxygen partial pressure, the carbon dioxide concentration or the carbon dioxide partial pressure and the air humidity, the air quality, the ozone and the air temperature.

An indoor air-conditioning apparatus for accomplishing the foregoing task includes a circulation air passage and at least one pump or ventilator for moving circulation air in the circulation passage. The circulating air channel is communicated with the room through an inlet and an outlet. Connected to the circulation channel is a mixing chamber which has, on the one hand, an air inlet for circulating air and an air outlet, and, on the other hand, a fresh air inlet from the outside atmosphere and a nitrogen inlet for feeding nitrogen into the mixing chamber.

The essential features and advantages of the method according to the invention and of the indoor air conditioning unit according to the invention are summarized below:

the control and regulation of the concentration of oxygen in the training and living room corresponding to a simulated altitude, according to the concentration level corresponding to the predetermined place of the task, by modern means and with small tolerances;

the prescribed concentration changes can be made quickly and efficiently at any time;

-keeping the carbon dioxide concentration in the training and dwelling room steadily below a defined limit value, which is at least 0.65% below the volume ratio;

the flow rate of the gas mixture supplied can be flexibly adapted to the requirements;

-permanently maintaining the air quality;

the hypoxic air inside the room is formed by feeding two components-nitrogen (nitrogen content greater than 78% by volume, maximum 100% by volume) and fresh air (oxygen content 20.9% by volume) -which are separately obtained, either from outside air or partially from the room air itself, and are fed in flow-controlled manner;

nitrogen is optionally prepared in advance in varying amounts (air separation unit connected to storage) by an industrially used air separation unit (by means of different methods) or is supplied from a storage tank; the length of the ducts of the air separation unit and the mixing chamber can be varied in such a way that no additional sound load occurs in the hypoxic region;

the required mixing of the gas mixture is completed in a mixing chamber connected upstream of the chamber before entering the chamber (see fig. 1);

nitrogen and fresh air of each component are separately produced and their feeds are controlled by electronically controlled valves, so that the equivalent altitude can be rapidly increased (by reducing the oxygen concentration by supplying nitrogen alone) or reduced (by increasing the oxygen concentration by supplying fresh air alone) by closing the feed of one component while increasing the feed of the other component; in this way, the time required to create the desired equivalent altitude is somewhat reduced relative to constantly inputting the desired final concentration of the gas mixture, and the cost of creating the equivalent altitude is also significantly reduced. The equivalent altitude is the height above sea level at which the oxygen partial pressure in the breathing air is approximately the same as in the museum.

Due to the variable controllability of the partial flow and thus of the total flow of the hypoxic gas mixture fed from the mixing chamber, it is possible to immediately increase the flow of the gas mixture and thus reduce the carbon dioxide concentration when the number of people in the chamber increases, or when the intensity of the body load increases;

the use of a microelectronic controlled regulation (e.g. DDC, direct digital control) allows the adjustment of the split flow, also directly compensating for the disturbance effect and ensuring a constant oxygen concentration. The positive and negative oxygen consumption of the room occupants is compensated by a corresponding supply of fresh air. The disruption of fresh air by ingress and egress from the room is balanced by a reduction in fresh air flow.

When the carbon dioxide concentration in the chamber increases beyond a predetermined limit value, the total flow is automatically increased by increasing the flow of the two partial components. The increase of the flow rate plays a role in enhancing the indoor air exchange, thereby also reducing the concentration of the carbon dioxide; the flow rate is increased until the carbon dioxide again returns to the predetermined limit value.

Air quality cannot be guaranteed only by a defined air exchange (magnitude of the gas mixture flow rate). This is achieved by means of a circulating air system which is additionally installed in the hypoxic chamber and a controlled embodiment in the circulating air system. In this system, the air in the hypoxic chamber flows through a special filter and controlled ion generator back into the chamber, which eliminates water build-up first and also eliminates undesirable materials (bacteria). The air exchange between the inflowing gas mixture and the outflowing gas mixture is mainly used to reduce the carbon dioxide concentration.

Drawings

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a museum room to which an indoor air conditioning unit is connected for creating an over-pressure hypoxic deployment of air in the museum room.

Figure 2 is a drawing showing the introduction and withdrawal of a gas mixture into and from a library room.

Fig. 3 shows a room in connection with another room air-conditioning device for cooperation with an air separation unit for preparing a nitrogen-containing gas mixture.

Figure 4 shows a set of arrangements for two rooms with an indoor air conditioning unit and a common separation unit, which are connected in such a way that the indoor air in one room is oxygen-reduced and the other room is oxygen-enriched.

Fig. 5 shows three schematic views of a room with reduced oxygen content and a water basin.

Fig. 6 shows a hypoxic hotel room with an ice or snow runway, where fig. 6a is a top view of an oval ice runway and fig. 6b is a cross-sectional view through a tunnel for the oval ice runway.

Detailed Description

The hypoxic apparatus shown in fig. 1 comprises the following parts: a room for human and/or animal habitation and body movement, hereinafter referred to as room 1, an intermediate storage 2, a mixing chamber 3, an air humidity treatment unit 32, a temperature treatment unit 33, a controlled ion generator 4, a particle filter 5, a first pump 61, a second pump 62, electronic or otherwise controlled flow valves (MFCs (mass flow controllers) or others) 71 to 79, an indoor air inlet 81, a nitrogen inlet 82, a first fresh air inlet 83, a second fresh air inlet 84, a used indoor air outlet 88, a mixing chamber outlet 89, a connecting line 90, a valve 91 for freshly mixed indoor air, a receiver and ejector 92 for used indoor air, a second connecting line 93, an exhaust gas processor (scrubber) 12 for chemically carbon dioxide elimination, a mixing chamber outlet 89, a connecting line 90, a valve 91 for freshly mixed indoor air, a receiver and ejector 92 for freshly mixed indoor air, a second connecting line 93, a waste gas processor (scrubber) 12 for chemically eliminating carbon dioxide, A central unit 100(DDC or other) for electronic control and regulation and sensors 110 for oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, temperature, air pressure, air quality and ozone.

The two concepts of room air and room arrangement air are considered synonyms below and relate to the air in the room 1 and the room air conditioning system belonging to the room. In contrast to this, the outside atmosphere surrounding the chamber 1 is constituted by fresh air.

The hypoxic apparatus shown in fig. 1 operates in the following manner:

such a device is used to create a low oxygen (less than 20.9% by volume) and low carbon dioxide (less than 0.04% by volume) room in a closed or almost closed room 1 and/or to condition a low oxygen (less than 20.9% by volume) and low carbon dioxide (less than 0.04% by volume) room in a closed or almost closed room 1 with or without physical activity in the room.

The method of preparing the oxygen reduction chamber to dispose air described below is referred to as passive operation.

The passive mode of operation of the indoor configured air with low oxygen (less than 20.9% by volume) and low carbon dioxide (less than 0.04% by volume) formed in the closed or nearly closed chamber 1 is as follows: valves 77, 79 and 72 are opened and nitrogen (vol% N)₂＞78；O₂＜20.9；CO₂＜0.04；H₂O close to 0) enters the closed or almost closed chamber 1 through the inlet 82 and the connecting tube 90 and the special air channel 91 by means of the pump 61 or by its own pressure in case of nitrogen coming from a pressure vessel. The air channel 91 ensures that the nitrogen is uniformly mixed with the original configured gas in the chamber. When the valve 74 is controlled to open and the valve 75 is closed, some of the room air is discharged to the ambient atmosphere via a dedicated air passage 92 and outlet 88 by means of the elevated pressure in the pump 62 or the room 1, the amount of discharged room gas ensuring an overpressure in the room. The special passage allows the newly mixed indoor air to be uniformly drawn out. This process continues until the chamber 1 exhibits the desired low oxygen (less than 20.9% by volume) and carbon dioxide lean (less than 0.65% by volume) chamber configuration air.

In the case of humans or animals and/or physical activities, the regulation of the formation of replacement or supplementation of oxygen-poor (less than 20.9% by volume) and carbon dioxide-poor (less than a predetermined limit value, for example 1% by volume or 0.65% by volume) and carbon dioxide-poor air in the closed or almost closed chamber 1 takes place in an active operation, or in a partially closed circulation system, or in a closed circulation system.

The active operation in a partially closed circulation system, the conditioning of the room air arrangement, is described first.

In the case of persons or animals and/or physical activities, the regulation of the replacement or supplementation of oxygen-poor (less than 20.9% by volume) and carbon dioxide-poor air (predetermined limit values, for example 1% by volume or 0.65% by volume) in a closed or almost closed chamber 1 takes place during active operation in a partially closed circulation system as follows: the air circulation is performed completely periodically. Valve 75 is opened and the gas withdrawn from chamber 1 passes through a particulate filter 5 and a controlled ionizer 4 that removes carbohydrate-based hazardous materials from the gas and enters mixing chamber 3 through outlet 81. An exhaust gas processor 12 may optionally be coupled to the air stream to chemically bond and remove carbon dioxide from the air. Nitrogen gas is passed through inlet 82 and ambient air (hereinafter fresh air) is passed through the particulate filter 5 through inlet 83 to enter the mixing chamber at a volume ratio corresponding to the desired reduced oxygen concentration in the chamber 1. Another part of the fresh air enters the mixing chamber through the inlet 84 and through the particle filter 5. This additional portion of fresh air supplements the oxygen consumption of the human or animal in the chamber 1. The fresh air supply has a predetermined ratio to the intensity of the movement of the human or animal in the chamber 1, which is set in the chamber 1 by the oxygen consumption dynamics theory and automatically regulated. In this case, the amount of oxygen contained in the fresh air must be greater than the amount of oxygen consumed. The flow rates of nitrogen (inlet 82) and fresh air (inlets 83 and 84) correspond to the sum of the flow rates of the consumed room-disposed air previously expelled into the surrounding atmosphere through outlet 85, and the flow rates that leak from the circulation loop into the surrounding atmosphere due to the presence of a constant leak, or due to the leakage of a disturbance caused by the ingress or egress of a person or animal into or out of room 1. The amount of gas to be discharged into the surrounding atmosphere or to be newly prepared by mixing nitrogen and fresh air is determined by the dynamic theory of the carbon dioxide concentration in the chamber 1 and the set carbon dioxide boundary value and automatically adjusted to maintain a steady state or not to exceed the set boundary value. The oxygen-reduced (less than 20.9% by volume) and carbon dioxide-depleted room air (less than a predetermined limit value, for example 1% by volume or 0.65% by volume) produced in the mixing chamber from the used atmosphere and the new components of nitrogen and fresh air are treated by meteorological techniques in such a way that the temperature and humidity in the room 1 remain stable before leaving the mixing chamber 3. In addition, the gas can be subjected to another meteorological technical treatment in the chamber 1. The prepared chamber is supplied with air by means of a pump 62 or its own pressure from the mixing chamber through an outlet 89 and through a valve 72 or through an intermediate storage container 2 or directly through a connecting line 90 and a special air channel 91 for uniform mixing of nitrogen with the gas in the chamber into the closed or almost closed chamber. By controlled opening of the valves 74 and 75, a special air channel 92 is provided for even air discharge from the used chamber by means of the pump 62 or the increased pressure in the chamber, so much of the chamber gas is discharged from the outlet 88 into the surrounding atmosphere that the predetermined carbon dioxide concentration limit value is maintained in the chamber 1 and the desired overpressure is maintained in the chamber. The spent indoor configured air, having a reduced amount discharged into the surrounding atmosphere through outlet 88, enters the mixing chamber through particulate filter 5 and controlled ionizer 4 for reprocessing. The remaining spent indoor configured air may optionally be passed through an exhaust gas processor 12 to additionally remove carbon dioxide. The mixing process in the mixing chamber 3 can be carried out under a small overpressure, a large overpressure or a negative pressure. When mixing oxygen-poor (less than 20.9% by volume) and carbon dioxide-poor make-up air (less than a predetermined limit value, for example 1% by volume or 0.65% by volume) at a low overpressure, the components of the used make-up air, nitrogen and fresh air are fed into the mixing chamber at a pressure which exceeds the pressure of the make-up air in chamber 1, and the pressure of the newly produced make-up air is reduced via valve 79 and transfer lines 90 and 91 so that the pressure in chamber 1 remains constant. In the case of negative pressure mixing, air (less than a predetermined boundary value, for example, 1% by volume or 0.65% by volume) is intermittently supplied into a chamber with a small amount of oxygen (less than 20.9% by volume) and a small amount of carbon dioxide (less than 0.65% by volume) and continuously introduced into the chamber 1 through an intermediate storage container. The pump 61 draws the prepared air from the mixing chamber through valve 79, at which time valves 75, 76, 77 and 78 are closed. Subsequently, the valves are opened in a controlled manner, and the used make-up air, nitrogen and fresh air are each temporarily introduced uniformly into the mixing chamber and processed to form the new make-up air. After valves 75, 76, 77, and 78 are closed, the process repeats again. The pump 61 delivers the prepared configured air to an intermediate storage container, via which the prepared room configured air is supplied in a controlled and continuous manner by means of a special air channel 91. With mixing at a high overpressure, low-oxygen (less than 20.9% by volume) and carbon dioxide-depleted make-up air (less than a predetermined limit value, for example 1% by volume or 0.65% by volume) are generated intermittently and fed continuously into the chamber 1 via an intermediate reservoir. The spent make-up air, nitrogen and fresh air components are temporarily and uniformly fed into the mixing chamber through inlets 81, 82, 83 and 84 at high overpressure, with valve 79 closed. After closing valves 75, 76, 77 and 78 valve 79 is opened. After valve 79 is closed, the process begins again. The pump 61 delivers prepared configuration air to the intermediate storage container, through which it is continuously and controllably supplied by means of a dedicated air channel 91. The manner of mixing, with small overpressure, large overpressure or underpressure, influences the quality of the prepared configuration air and is determined by the desired composition of the configuration air in the chamber 1, the desired flow rate and the magnitude of the disturbance.

The active operation of the closed circulation system will now be described.

In the case of persons or animals and/or sports activities, the regulation of the replacement or supplementation of oxygen-poor (less than 20.9% by volume) and carbon dioxide-poor air (predetermined limit values, for example 1% by volume or 0.65% by volume) in a closed or almost closed chamber 1 takes place during active operation in a closed circulation system as follows: the air circulation is performed periodically entirely by means of the pumps 61 and 62. Valve 74 is closed and valve 75 is opened so that the configured air drawn from chamber 1 passes through a particulate filter 5 and a controlled ionizer 4 and enters mixing chamber 3 via inlet 81, connecting duct 90 and dedicated air passage 91, returning to chamber 1. The ionizer 4 removes all the harmful substances based on carbohydrates from the air. An exhaust gas processor 12 for removing carbon dioxide from the configured air by chemical bonding may optionally be connected to the air stream. The closed system can be operated until the carbon dioxide concentration does not exceed a boundary value and the oxygen concentration does not exceed its standard range. This condition is given in the case of large chamber volumes. After the limit value is reached, the air provided can either be completely replaced or the process can be reversed in a partially closed circuit.

For each mode of operation, all hardware is controlled by a central microelectronic control unit, which is a DDC device, which regulates the desired nominal values of used configured air, nitrogen, fresh air, configured air and room temperature by means of sensors for detecting the concentration and flow of oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor and harmful gases.

Fig. 2 shows ventilation and exhaust in the chamber 1. The numbers in the figure represent:

1-variable flow gas mixture feed pipe with forwardly inclined outlet holes

2-suction device for air circulation system near bottom

3-harmful substance removing device in air circulation system

4-apparatus for discharging a gas mixture purified and concentrated of carbon dioxide

5-controllable variable cross-section suction pipeline

6-hypoxic training or Living Librarian

Forced guiding means are provided for introducing and discharging the gas mixture. The gas mixture with the required amount is blown obliquely downwards from the ceiling at a small overpressure (fig. 2). After the trainee, the air circulation system near the bottom draws it away, which removes the harmful substances from the resulting gas mixture and feeds them back into the chamber again through the front and side walls for reuse, but this time backwards, creating a backwards air movement. The backside of the library room is slightly sub-atmospheric with respect to the overpressure at the time of the drum-in. The same amount of air is actively sucked away. This movement of the air in the form of a roller through the room ensures a good delivery of the carbon dioxide gas mixture as it diffuses out of the differently arranged outlets. The suction opening (cross section) of the used gas mixture is flexibly adapted to the quantity of the inflowing gas mixture, so that cyclic operation with different and alternating numbers of persons is possible.

The distribution of the museum 300 and the indoor air conditioning installation 310 shown in figure 3 differs from the indoor air conditioning installation shown in figure 1 in the indoor air conditioning installation 310 first. The common components are the air guiding means 312 and the air suction means 314 in the library room 300. The room air discharged from the room 300 is re-introduced into the room 300 via a pump 316, an ionizer 318 and filters 320, an exhaust gas treatment unit 12, a mixing chamber 330 and a second pump 332 in the circulating air drive of the air supply device 312. The air circulation device in fig. 3 is not different from the corresponding part in fig. 1 in terms of the components mentioned so far and valves and the like not shown in the drawings. There is also a common point with respect to the mixing channel 330 for delivering fresh air and a nitrogen-containing gas mixture or nitrogen. It is also effective to employ an intermediate storage vessel 334 if pressure equalization is desired. All valves are connected to the control and regulation device DDC shown in figure 1, which is also connected to the sensors in the room 300.

The arrangement shown in figure 3, consisting of the museum 300 and the air circulation unit 310, differs from the arrangement shown in figure 1 essentially in that an air separation unit 340 is provided for forming the nitrogen or nitrogen-containing gas mixture fed to the mixing chamber 330. The air separation unit 340 is connected on the inlet side to the museum 300 via a pipe 342, the separation unit 340 receiving the room air from the museum 300, which air separates a nitrogen-rich component and an oxygen-and carbon dioxide-rich component and sends the nitrogen-rich component to the mixing chamber 330. The nitrogen-enriched gas component formed by the air separation unit 340 can be considered similar to pure nitrogen obtained from the museum room 300 by separating air. The nitrogen-rich gas component fed into the mixing chamber 330 from the side of the air separation unit 340 is mixed with fresh air in the mixing chamber 330 in the same manner as in the case of using the indoor air conditioning device shown in fig. 1.

The advantage of the air supplied to the air separation unit 340 being the room air from the room 300 is that this room air has already been raised with respect to nitrogen content and that, in addition, at least a part of the carbon dioxide discharged from the room air of the room 300 is separated during the separation in the separation unit 340 and discharged to the outside.

The set of equipment shown in fig. 4 has two rooms, i.e. one first room 400 with oxygen-poor room air and one second room 410 with oxygen-rich room air, the details of which in respect of the air circulation means provided for the rooms 400 and 410 correspond to the equipment shown in fig. 3. The basic components of the air circulation loop 402 of the room 400 and the second air circulation loop 412 for the room 410 are one mixing chamber 404 and 414, respectively. The two mixing chambers 404 and 414 are supplied with air from an air separation unit 420. The inlet of the air separation unit 420 is not connected to a room, but is supplied with fresh air (inlet 422). The nitrogen-rich gas mixture formed by air separation is fed via pipe 424 to the mixing chamber 404 of the museum 400 for the first hypoxic room. The oxygen-enriched gas mixture, which is likewise produced by air separation, is fed via a pipe 426 to the second mixing chamber 414 of the air circuit 412 for the second hotel room 410 with the oxygen-enriched room air.

This embodiment of the room air conditioning arrangement for the first, less oxygen, hotel room 400 can be entirely comparable to the room air conditioning arrangement shown in figures 1 and 3.

With respect to the indoor air conditioning arrangement for the second library room 410 that is oxygen-rich, the mixing chamber 414 differs in that it has another inlet 428 for oxygen or oxygen-rich gas mixture in addition to a single inlet for oxygen-rich gas mixture (corresponding to the inlet for the nitrogen-rich gas mixture shown in figures 1 and 3).

A particular variant 500 of a hypoxic or oxygen-rich museum is shown in fig. 5. The peculiarity of the Library room 500 is that it has a membrane 504 that extends into a pool 502 of water that ends below a water level 506 and that enables the pool to extend outside the Library room 500, for example into an adjacent building or to the open air. Sufficient sealing of the library 500 from the outside is through the basin 502 and into the membrane 504 inside the basin. This allows the swimmer to enter and exit the room via the pool.

As already shown in fig. 1 and 3, each room has an inlet pipe 508 and an outlet pipe 510 for introducing and discharging room air that is rich or poor in oxygen.

An entrance door 512 allows dry access to the room 500 without significant exchange between the room air of the room 500 and the surrounding air.

Finally, fig. 6 shows a library room 600 with an ice or snow runway 602. For example, the ice and snow runway is an oval runway. Above the runway, a parlour 600 with less or more oxygen-rich room air is enclosed by corresponding parlour walls 604 and a roof 606. A particular feature of the museum 600 is that the transport of the oxygen-poor or oxygen-rich gas mixture takes place through the vicinity of the floor near the snow and ice, along the input pipe 610 extending along the on-ice or on-snow runway 602. Here, the gas mixture delivered by the delivery duct 610 may be cooled, thus facilitating the support of the ice or snow runway.

The discharge of the gas mixture is preferably effected via an exhaust pipe 612 extending along the ice or snow runway 602 in the area of the museum 600.

Claims (17)

1. Method for conditioning the air in a first chamber, in which the air in the chamber is supplemented continuously or at repeated intervals with nitrogen or a gas mixture containing nitrogen and depleted in carbon dioxide, so that the oxygen content of the air is less than 20.9% by volume and the carbon dioxide content of the air in the chamber is less than 1% by volume, while the chamber is conditioned to an overpressure which is at least slightly higher than the atmosphere surrounding the chamber, in which the air in the chamber is forcibly circulated and the mixing of the gas mixture takes place in a mixing chamber, into which the components of the gas mixture to be mixed are fed at overpressure or underpressure depending on the gas mixture required in the mixing chamber.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indoor air has a carbon dioxide content of less than 0.65% by volume.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein: the air exchange in the room of the library formed by the forced circulation is adjusted to form uniform air in the room.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein: the carbon dioxide component in the room air is replaced by replacing a part of the room air with carbon dioxide-depleted air in the outside atmosphere having a normal oxygen content in the forced circulation, the replacement of the room air in the forced circulation being controlled in such a way that the carbon dioxide concentration in the room air is kept below a predetermined limit value, which is 0.65% by volume.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein: the carbon dioxide content of the air is reduced by chemical means.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the carbon dioxide content of the air is reduced supplementarily by means of limestone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein: the indoor air fed in the forced circulation is subjected to a controlled ionization process as required so that the quality of the indoor air reduced in oxygen content and reduced in carbon dioxide content with respect to the sub-external atmosphere does not deviate significantly from the quality of the external atmosphere.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein: the gas mixture is formed by mixing air in the outside atmosphere with nitrogen.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein: at least one of the air humidity and the air temperature of the conditioned circulated air is detected and controlled.

10. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, characterized by: the nitrogen-containing gas is produced by separating a gas mixture with a separating device into which the room air is fed in forced circulation, into which ambient air or nitrogen or a nitrogen-containing gas mixture is admixed in an amount corresponding to the equivalent of the highly oxygen-containing constituents removed in the air separation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein: the nitrogen-containing gas mixture is produced by separating the surrounding air.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein: an oxygen-enriched gas mixture having an oxygen component formed by said separation of greater than 21% by volume is fed into the second chamber such that the oxygen content of the air in the second chamber is higher than the ambient air.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein: treating the high oxygen content room air in the second chamber by the method of claims 1 to 10.

14. A room for humans or animals, which is filled with room air and is constructed to be kept at least for a short time at a low overpressure relative to the outside atmosphere surrounding the room, which room is connected via an air inlet and an air outlet to a room air conditioning device, which air conditioning device is constructed to condition the room air in the room in such a way that its oxygen partial pressure is lower than the oxygen partial pressure of the outside atmosphere, wherein the room air conditioning device has a circulating air channel and a pump or blower for moving circulating air in the circulating air channel, and a mixing chamber connected in the circulating air channel, which mixing chamber has an inlet and an outlet for circulating air, and has an ambient air inlet for the outside atmosphere and a nitrogen inlet for feeding nitrogen into the mixing chamber.

15. Library room for humans or animals according to claim 14, characterized in that the room air-conditioning arrangement has an air separation unit which separates the surrounding air into a first air mixture with a reduced oxygen content in relation to the surrounding air and a second air mixture with an increased oxygen content in relation to the surrounding air.

16. Library room for humans or animals according to claim 15, characterized in that the physical exercise room is combined with a second physical exercise room, which is connected to the room air conditioning in such a way that the gas mixture of the air separation unit with an increased oxygen content in relation to the surrounding air is used for preparing air with an increased oxygen content in relation to the surrounding air in the second physical exercise room.

17. The library room of any one of claims 14, 15 or 16, wherein the library room is a gymnasium.