A humidifying apparatus includes a water tank provided to hold water, a heating device configured to heat the water held in the water tank, a discharge chamber disposed above the water tank and including an outlet configured to discharge steam generated in the water tank due to the water being heated, a guide chamber between the water tank and the discharge chamber configured to guide the steam generated in the water tank into the discharge chamber, and a screen at a central portion of the guide chamber and spaced apart from an inner sidewall of the guide chamber to form a gap between the screen and the inner sidewall, so that the screen interferes with a flow of the steam guided by the guide chamber and allows the steam to flow through the gap to then be guided by the guide chamber into the discharge chamber.

Today vaporizing humidifier must achieve their desired function and operate with conflicting requirements such as cost of ownership (CoO) and regulatory guidelines. Low CoO requires high injection efficiency, low water consumption, and high energy efficiency to reduce energy consumption and running costs. All of this is sought with variable humidification and low exhaust gas temperatures from safety/regulatory viewpoints as well as ducting material selection and venting of the exhaust gases and high efficiency. To date vaporizing humidifiers have been partially successful utilizing a single stage heat exchanger that could not extract latent energy from exhaust gases because the secondary fluid is boiling water. High exhaust temperature requires high temperature stainless steel exhaust venting. Embodiments of the invention provide dual-stage humidification systems with an effective design for achieving the conflicting objectives under variable humidification operation as well as addressing the control loop design of such dual-stage humidification systems.

Today vaporizing humidifier must achieve their desired function and operate with conflicting requirements such as cost of ownership (CoO) and regulatory guidelines. Low CoO requires high injection efficiency, low water consumption, and high energy efficiency to reduce energy consumption and running costs. All of this is sought with variable humidification and low exhaust gas temperatures from safety/regulatory viewpoints as well as ducting material selection and venting of the exhaust gases and high efficiency. To date vaporizing humidifiers have been partially successful utilizing a single stage heat exchanger that could not extract latent energy from exhaust gases because the secondary fluid is boiling water. High exhaust temperature requires high temperature stainless steel exhaust venting. Embodiments of the invention provide dual-stage humidification systems with an effective design for achieving the conflicting objectives under variable humidification operation as well as addressing the control loop design of such dual-stage humidification systems.

A steam therapy equipment including a vessel for heating a mixture of water and organic materials, a compressor to inject pressurized air into the vessel producing pressurized steam. The pressurized steam is conducted into the equipment via one or more valves. The therapy equipment is formed from at least one panel and may include a supporting frame. The therapy equipment includes a temperature sensor to measure the temperature inside the therapy equipment when pressurized steam is admitted via the valves. A patient enters the equipment and is exposed to the pressurized steam, causing dilation of the skin pores of the patient, whereby toxins are removed from the patient. One or more applicators may conduct pressurized steam to specific portions of the body of the patient. The patient may be provided with a portion of the mixture to consume as part of the steam therapy treatment.

A water treatment vessel (10) causes electric discharge in water stored therein to produce a sterilizing factor. The water treatment vessel (10) moves in accordance with the level of water in a reservoir (30) to be switched between a discharging state where the water treatment vessel (10) and the reservoir (30) have no communication, and a pair of electrodes (16, 17) are immersed in water in the water treatment vessel (10) to cause the electric discharge, and a draining state where the pair of electrodes (16, 17) come out of water in the water treatment vessel (10) to stop the electric discharge, and water flows out of the water treatment vessel (10) into the reservoir (30). The water supplier (20) supplies water to the water treatment vessel (10) in the draining state, and stop the supply of water to the water treatment vessel (10) in the discharging state.

A water treatment vessel (10) causes electric discharge in water stored therein to produce a sterilizing factor. The water treatment vessel (10) moves in accordance with the level of water in a reservoir (30) to be switched between a discharging state where the water treatment vessel (10) and the reservoir (30) have no communication, and a pair of electrodes (16, 17) are immersed in water in the water treatment vessel (10) to cause the electric discharge, and a draining state where the pair of electrodes (16, 17) come out of water in the water treatment vessel (10) to stop the electric discharge, and water flows out of the water treatment vessel (10) into the reservoir (30). The water supplier (20) supplies water to the water treatment vessel (10) in the draining state, and stop the supply of water to the water treatment vessel (10) in the discharging state.

A sterilization and humidification apparatus includes a heating chamber, a filter and a humidification chamber. The heating chamber heats a gas so as to sterilize the gas. The humidification chamber is adapted so that a liquid, which has been filtered by the filter, evaporates into the sterilized gas, thereby causing the sterilized gas to cool, and outputting a humidified gas at a desired temperature. The apparatus may include a bypass chamber to provide a path for the gas to bypass the humidification chamber. The apparatus may be adapted particularly for use in an incubator.

A sterilization and humidification apparatus includes a heating chamber, a filter and a humidification chamber. The heating chamber heats a gas so as to sterilize the gas. The humidification chamber is adapted so that a liquid, which has been filtered by the filter, evaporates into the sterilized gas, thereby causing the sterilized gas to cool, and outputting a humidified gas at a desired temperature. The apparatus may include a bypass chamber to provide a path for the gas to bypass the humidification chamber. The apparatus may be adapted particularly for use in an incubator.

With respect to atmospheric steam generating humidifiers, the present disclosure resolves the problem of end-users not adjusting the drain interval of the humidifier by using an electronic controller to automatically choose an appropriate drain interval without requiring any user input. The electronic controller accomplishes this by receiving input data from a sensor that measures a water quality parameter, automatically determining a drain interval based on the received data, and sending an output control signal to a drain water control valve to execute a drain event in accordance with the drain interval. In some examples, the electronic controller utilizes a look-up table correlating the water quality parameter to a total dissolved solids or cycles of concentration value.

With respect to atmospheric steam generating humidifiers, the present disclosure resolves the problem of end-users not adjusting the drain interval of the humidifier by using an electronic controller to automatically choose an appropriate drain interval without requiring any user input. The electronic controller accomplishes this by receiving input data from a sensor that measures a water quality parameter, automatically determining a drain interval based on the received data, and sending an output control signal to a drain water control valve to execute a drain event in accordance with the drain interval. In some examples, the electronic controller utilizes a look-up table correlating the water quality parameter to a total dissolved solids or cycles of concentration value.