JP2016175568A - Air dryer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a catch tank for an air dryer device which is unlikely to restrict the layout onto a vehicle despite having a simple and low cost structure, maintains desired purge performance, and effectively removes moisture, an oil content, and so on from purge air.SOLUTION: The invention relates to a catch tank 100 for an air dryer device which stores a moisture content separated from purge air discharged during purge processing of an air dryer device in an air system which stores compressed air in an air tank to use the compressed air. In the catch tank 100 for the air dryer device, an internal space 102 of a front underrun protector device 101 mounted on the vehicle is used as a space for the catch tank for the air dryer device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an air dryer device for removing moisture and the like from service air used in service brakes, air suspensions and the like in automobiles and the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a catch tank that separates and stores moisture, oil, and the like from purge air during a purge process.

For example, in large vehicles such as trucks and buses, air compressed to a predetermined pressure (for example, about 10 kgf / cm ² ) by an air compressor is stored in an air tank, and this compressed air (service air) is used as an operating power source. Service brake systems that are used as a part of the system and air suspension systems that use compressed air instead of coil springs and leaf springs are used.

Here, the air compressed by the air compressor is in a state where water is likely to be generated due to condensation of water vapor contained compared to the normal atmospheric pressure state.
In addition, there may be a case where lubricating oil for lubricating an air compressor including a crank mechanism and a piston that are rotationally driven by an engine is mixed in the compressed air.

  For this reason, if the air compressed by the air compressor is stored in the air tank as it is and the stored compressed air is supplied to various air systems such as a service brake system, the parts that are touched by the compressed air are corroded. May cause adverse effects on the reliability of the system, such as causing damage to the air system and causing malfunctions in various air systems.

  For this reason, before the air compressed by the air compressor is stored in the air tank, it is dried by an air dryer device to remove oil and purify it.

As an example of such an air dryer device, there is one as described in Patent Document 1, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, when the air compressor 20 is in a load state where air is compressed (at the time of loading). Takes the compressed air into the air dryer device 10 from the inlet port 11, guides and passes the introduced compressed air to the filter 13 of the filter chamber 12, collects oil, dust, etc., and then guides it to the drying chamber 14. It is like that.
In the drying chamber 14, the moisture contained in the compressed air is absorbed and removed by the desiccant 15 accommodated in the drying chamber 14, and then the compressed air passes through the purge chamber 16 and the outlet 17 to the air tank 30. Has been led to.

On the other hand, when the pressure in the air tank 30 reaches a predetermined pressure (for example, about 10 kgf / cm ² ), the pressure regulator 40 operates and the air compressor 20 is brought into a no-load state (unload state) in which air is not compressed. However, in this state, the purge valve 18 is opened, and so-called purge processing is performed in which the compressed air in the purge chamber 16 is discharged to the outside while passing through the drying chamber 14 and the filter chamber 12.

  In addition, by this purging process, the moisture in the drying chamber 14 (the moisture adsorbed by the desiccant or the moisture accumulated in the bottom, etc.), the oil or dust in the filter chamber 12 (the oil collected in the filter 13, Dust and the like, and oil and dust collected at the bottom are discharged to the outside, and the desiccant 15 and the filter 13 are regenerated.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-26136 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 07-010514 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-61189 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-25924

  By the way, when purge processing is performed to regenerate the desiccant 15 and the filter 13 using purge air at a predetermined pressure, moisture, oil, and the like accumulated in the air dryer device 10 are discharged from the drain 19 into the air and the ground along with the purge air. Since it is ejected toward the surface, there is a risk that the nearby wall or ground may be soiled, and it is desirable to prevent the moisture containing such oil from being inadvertently discharged to the outside.

  For this reason, in the compressed air drying device (air dryer device) described in Patent Document 2, a so-called catch tank (container) is provided in the purge air passage to separate moisture and oil from the purge air. It describes the technology to be collected.

  However, a predetermined amount of purge air (for example, 4 L / second) needs to flow through the desiccant and the filter per unit time in order to regenerate the desiccant and the filter satisfactorily in the purge process. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the ventilation resistance of the catch tank. Therefore, in the air dryer apparatus described in Patent Document 2 designed to have a relatively low ventilation resistance, the inside of the drain tank Since the pressure of the purge air flowing into the tank is kept relatively high and is discharged to the outside with this high pressure, there is a possibility that moisture and oil in the purge air cannot be collected sufficiently, and in the drain tank Even if moisture and oil in the purge air are collected and temporarily stored, the purge air is reused during the next purge process. There will be winding discharged to the outside fear.

  For this reason, in the compressed air drying device (air dryer device) described in Patent Document 3, the purge air containing moisture and oil is led to the intake passage (intake manifold) of the internal combustion engine, and led to the combustion chamber together with the intake air. In addition, a configuration that evaporates or burns oil is employed.

  However, when the purge air containing moisture and oil is guided to the intake passage, the moisture may adversely affect the combustion chamber, the intake passage, the intake valve, and the like. In addition, since the oil component is combusted and discharged in the combustion chamber, the particulate discharge amount may increase, and the catalyst or the particulate filter interposed in the exhaust passage may be adversely affected.

  In the compressed air drying device (air dryer device) described in Patent Document 4, the purge air containing moisture and oil is guided to the exhaust passage (upstream of the silencer) of the internal combustion engine, and the moisture and oil in the purge air are evaporated by the exhaust heat. The configuration is adopted.

  However, in recent years, due to limitations on exhaust emissions of exhaust gas harmful substances (NOx, CO, HC, etc.) and particulates discharged from internal combustion engines, catalysts and particulate filters have been installed in the exhaust passage. If oil is contained, the particulate discharge amount may increase in the first place, and there is a possibility that the catalyst or the particulate filter interposed in the exhaust passage may be adversely affected.

  In addition, when installing a catch tank, since installation space is required on a vehicle, there also exists a problem that the freedom degree of a vehicle layout and the freedom degree of a body are restricted.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, has a simple and low-cost configuration, has a low risk of limiting the mounting layout on the vehicle, can maintain a desired purge performance, and can remove moisture from the purge air. It is an object to provide a catch tank for an air dryer device that can effectively remove oil and the like.

For this reason, the present invention
A catch tank for an air dryer apparatus that separates and stores at least moisture from purge air discharged during a purge process of an air dryer apparatus in an air system that stores and uses compressed air in an air tank,
The interior space of the front underrun protector device provided in the vehicle is used as a space for the catch tank for the air dryer device.

  In the present invention, the internal space of the front underrun protector device may be partitioned so as to be communicated by a partition plate in the vehicle width direction.

  In the present invention, the internal space of the front underrun protector device may be partitioned so as to be communicated by a partition plate in the vertical direction.

  In the present invention, a metal filter screen is disposed in the internal space of the front underrun protector device.

  According to the present invention, although it is a simple and low-cost configuration, there is little risk of limiting the mounting layout on the vehicle, the desired purge performance can be maintained, and moisture and oil are effectively removed from the purge air. A catch tank for an air dryer device can be provided.

(A) is a whole block diagram schematically showing the front of the vehicle (near the cabin) provided with a catch tank for an air dryer device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is an enlarged view of the catch tank for an air dryer device. FIG. 2 is a front view (viewed from the front of the vehicle) and a left and right side view thereof. It is a perspective view which extracts and expands and shows the catch tank (front under-run protector device) for air dryer apparatuses concerning an embodiment same as the above. It is the front view (figure seen from the vehicle front) and the left-right side view which show the example of 1 structure which has arrange | positioned the partition plate in the internal space of the catch tank for air dryer apparatuses (front underrun protector device) which concerns on embodiment same as the above.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a catch tank for an air dryer apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by embodiment described below.

As shown in FIG. 1A, an air dryer apparatus catch tank 100 according to this embodiment includes purge air (moisture, oil, dust, etc.) discharged from a drain (exhaust port) of the air dryer apparatus 10 during a purge process. For example, a pressure of about 10 kgf / cm ² and a unit time flow rate of about 4 L / sec) are introduced from the inlet 110 through the inlet pipe 120.

  In addition, about the structure of the air dryer apparatus 10, it can be made the same as that of the conventional one mentioned above, and detailed description here is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 1B is an enlarged front view (viewed from the front of the vehicle) of the air dryer apparatus catch tank 100 shown in FIG. 1A.

  Here, in a large vehicle, according to the law, the front underrun protector device (FUPD) 101 suppresses a passenger car or the like from getting under the vehicle body if it collides with a low-profile object such as a passenger car. For example, as shown in FIG. It is obliged to install on the lower side (road surface side) of 1 cross member.

  The front underrun protector device (FUPD) 101 is a component that is required to be mounted on a vehicle, but is formed by joining a steel plate or the like by welding or the like, and is a hollow cross-section member having a space on the inside. If the internal space can be used as a catch tank (gas oil separation chamber, oil reservoir chamber), the degree of freedom of the vehicle mounting layout is not limited, and there is sufficient volume to maintain the desired purge performance. In addition, since the flow rate of the purge air can be reduced due to this large volume, moisture, oil, and the like can be effectively removed from the purge air. Furthermore, it has a sufficient capacity to store the separated moisture and oil, and the flow rate of purge air can be reduced. Therefore, when purging, the moisture and oil collected and stored by the previous purge are stored. Or the like is re-entrained in the purge air and released to the outside.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, the front underrun protector device (FUPD) 101 is used (functioned) as the catch tank 100 for the air dryer device.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1B, the air dryer apparatus catch tank 100 is connected to the inlet pipe 120 in the vicinity of one end of the front underrun protector device 101 extending in the vehicle width direction. An inlet 110 is provided, and purge air (including moisture, oil, dust, etc.) discharged from the drain (exhaust port) of the air dryer apparatus 10 during the purge process is introduced into the internal space 102 from the inlet 110. It has become.

  Further, an outlet 130 is provided near the other end of the front underrun protector device 101 in the vehicle width direction so that purge air is discharged from the outlet 130 directly to the outside or through the outlet pipe or the like. It has become.

  When purge air (including moisture, oil, dust, etc.) discharged from the drain (exhaust port) of the air dryer device 10 is introduced from the inlet 110 to the internal space 102, the internal space 102 has a large volume. Since the flow rate of the purge air introduced into the air rapidly decreases, moisture and oil that are relatively heavy are effectively separated (collected) from the air, and only the air is discharged from the outlet 130 to the outside. .

  Since moisture, oil, and the like separated from the purge air are stored at the bottom of the internal space 102, for example, when a certain amount is stored, the drain cock 140 is opened at an appropriate location to prepare an appropriate measure. (For example, after preparing a saucer for moisture, oil, etc.), discharge to the outside.

  For this reason, according to the present embodiment, when purging is performed irregularly at an unpredictable timing as in the prior art, moisture, oil, etc. contained in the purge air are accompanied with the purge air in the air or on the ground. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a risk that the wall or the ground nearby is spoiled and the water containing the oil is inadvertently discharged to the outside.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the internal space 102 of the front underrun protector device 101 already installed in the vehicle is used as a catch tank space of the catch tank 100 for the air dryer device, the degree of freedom of the vehicle mounting layout is increased. There is no limit.

  In addition, the internal space 102 of the front underrun protector device 101 has a sufficient volume to maintain a desired purge performance, and because of this large volume, the purge air flow rate can be reduced. Water, oil, etc. can be effectively removed from the water.

  Furthermore, the internal space 102 of the front underrun protector device 101 has a sufficient volume for storing separated moisture, oil, and the like, and the flow rate of purge air can be reduced. There is little risk that the moisture, oil, etc. collected and stored by the purge will be re-entrained in the purge air and released to the outside.

  In the present embodiment, the internal space 102 of the front underrun protector device 101 is used (functioned) as a catch tank 100 for the air dryer device, so that it is not necessary to provide a catch tank dedicated to the air dryer device. This is also advantageous in terms of cost and mass.

  That is, according to the present embodiment in which the internal space 102 of the front under-run protector device 101 is used (functioned) as the catch tank 100 for the air dryer apparatus, the vehicle can be applied to the vehicle while having a simple and low-cost configuration. It is possible to provide a catch tank for an air dryer device that can reduce the mounting layout, can maintain a desired purge performance, and can effectively remove moisture, oil, and the like from purge air.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a partition plate 150 that partitions the inner space 102 of the front underrun protector device 101 so as to communicate with each other is provided, and the purge air collides with the partition plate 150, so that moisture contained in the purge air can be reduced. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which oil and the like can be effectively separated from purge air.

  As a configuration example of the partition plate 150, a partition plate capable of communicating such as a mesh such as a resin or metal, a porous material, or a punching member (a member having a punched opening) such as resin or metal can be used.

  Further, the position of the partition plate 150 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 3 and can be changed as appropriate. FIG. 3 shows a case where the space 102 is partitioned in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction). However, an arrangement that partitions the space 102 in the vertical direction in FIG. 3 can be employed.

  In addition, a metal filter net (for example, metal scrubbing) is used so that moisture and oil contained in the purge air can be effectively separated from the purge air in the internal space 102 of the front underrun protector device 101. In addition, a large number of linear or belt-like metals collected in a predetermined shape can be provided.

  The entire interior space 102 of the front underrun protector device 101 is not limited to the case where the entire interior space 102 is used as the catch tank space of the air dryer apparatus catch tank 100. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which only the portion is partitioned by a partition plate or the like so as to be used as a catch tank space of the air dryer apparatus catch tank 100.

  The embodiment described above is merely an example for explaining the present invention, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Air dryer apparatus 100 Catch tank for air dryer apparatuses 101 Front under-run protector device (FUPD)
102 Internal space 110 Inlet (inlet)
120 Inlet pipe (purge air introduction passage)
130 Outlet
140 Drain cock 150 Partition plate

Claims (4)

A catch tank for an air dryer apparatus that separates and stores at least moisture from purge air discharged during a purge process of an air dryer apparatus in an air system that stores and uses compressed air in an air tank,
A catch tank for an air dryer device, wherein an internal space of a front underrun protector device provided in a vehicle is used as a space for the catch tank for the air dryer device.   The catch tank for an air dryer device according to claim 1, wherein the internal space of the front underrun protector device is partitioned by a partition plate in the vehicle width direction so as to communicate with each other.   The catch tank for an air dryer device according to claim 1, wherein the interior space of the front underrun protector device is partitioned by a partition plate in the vertical direction so as to be able to communicate with each other.   The catch tank for an air dryer apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a metal filter net is disposed in an internal space of the front underrun protector device.

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