JP2024042983A - Energy-saving drain trap and compressed air pressure circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a drain trap that can reduce water surface sway caused by drain inflow and prevent compressed air and foreign matter stored and accumulated in the drain discharge chamber from leaking out. [Solution] This drain trap is composed of a drain inlet chamber and a drain discharge chamber formed by installing a partition inside the drain tank, a control unit, and a solenoid valve whose opening and closing is controlled by the control unit, and employs a means for connecting a drain introduction pipe installed at a specified position below the purification device to the inlet hole in a substantially vertical manner. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a drain trap, and more particularly to an energy-saving drain trap that collectively discharges drain water generated in various devices in a compressed air pressure circuit.

When the heated compressed air generated by an air compressor is cooled in a device or piping line disposed at a subsequent stage, drainage occurs due to a decrease in the amount of saturated water vapor under pressure. If such condensate occurs, there is a risk that the condensate may infiltrate the compressed air utilization equipment connected to the subsequent stage and cause malfunctions or malfunctions, so conventionally, condensate has a means for separating and removing condensate in the compressed air pressure circuit. In addition to providing a separation device, it has been common to provide a drain trap for discharging drain to the outside.

According to such a drain trap, an air layer is formed by the compressed air stored at the point where the drain is generated and the connection point with the drain trap, and an air lock phenomenon (air obstruction) occurs in which the drain does not flow into the drain trap. As countermeasures, methods such as providing a drain drawing mechanism and providing pressure equalizing pipes have been used. However, when a drain drawing mechanism is provided, since the mechanism draws in drain by discharging the compressed air that has flowed into the drain trap, the compressed air to be used is lost. Further, even when a pressure equalizing pipe is provided, a space is required for the pressure equalizing pipe itself, and even after the pressure equalizing pipe is provided, it is difficult to completely balance the pressure.
Furthermore, the drain contains foreign matter such as dust contained in the compressed air, and in order to prevent clogging of piping, etc., it is necessary to remove the foreign matter at the same time as draining the drain.

Therefore, there has been a need for a drain trap that opens and closes the discharge valve under control based on sensor measurement data, etc. to prevent the airlock phenomenon while reducing and discharging foreign matter in the drain.

Therefore, the present applicant has developed a technology for discharging condensate by opening and closing a solenoid valve based on detection by a water level sensor, and has proposed the technology described in Japanese Patent No. 5703519 (Patent Document 1). According to this technical proposal, the control means opens and closes the solenoid valve based on detection by three water level sensors inscribed in the drain tank, and even if a malfunction occurs, the valve is forcibly opened for a predetermined period of time. It had such excellent effects.

However, according to the technical proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1, although it is useful to monitor the amount of water in the drain tank and malfunction of the water level sensor in almost real time and open and close the solenoid valve depending on the amount of water, If the inflow of condensate increases rapidly, the water surface of the condensate stored in the drain tank will fluctuate greatly, which may impede detection by the water level sensor built into the drain tank. There has been a problem in that foreign matter that has accumulated at the bottom of the drain tank may be discharged from the outlet and obstruct the operation of the solenoid valve provided at the subsequent stage.

The applicant focused on the problems with the stability of the discharge operation in conventional drain traps as described above, and came up with the idea of providing a drain trap that can discharge drain from which foreign matter has been separated while preventing airlock. The applicant developed a drain trap that reduces water surface fluctuations caused by drain inflow by temporarily storing the drain discharged from the purification device in a drain inlet chamber and then sending it to a drain discharge chamber equipped with a water level sensor, and that prevents foreign matter from getting into the solenoid valve by locating the outlet hole below the sensor to prevent the discharge of compressed air, while preventing the discharge of trapped foreign matter by locating it above the bottom of the drain discharge chamber, leading to the proposal of the "energy-saving drain trap" of the present invention.

Patent No. 5703519

In view of the above problems, the present invention reduces water surface fluctuations caused by drain inflow by temporarily storing drain discharged from a purification device in a drain inflow chamber and then sending it to a drain discharge chamber equipped with a sensor. In addition, by providing an outflow hole below the sensor and above the bottom of the drain discharge chamber, the compressed air stored in the drain discharge chamber and accumulated foreign matter are prevented from being discharged, thereby preventing foreign matter from entering the solenoid valve. The objective is to provide a drain trap that is capable of

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a drain inflow chamber and a drain discharge chamber formed by installing a partition inside a drain tank, a control section, and a solenoid valve whose opening/closing is controlled by the control section. , the drain inflow chamber includes an inflow hole that allows drain discharged from the purification equipment to flow into the drain inflow chamber via a drain introduction pipe, and a drain hole that penetrates a partition wall to drain the drain in the drain inflow chamber. A delivery hole that sends out the air to the discharge chamber, an inverted L-shaped delivery elbow that is connected to the delivery hole, and a balance hole that penetrates the partition wall and equalizes the pressure of the compressed air stored in the drain inflow chamber and the drain discharge chamber. , the drain discharge chamber is equipped with a sensor connected to the control unit, an outflow hole that sends the drain to the solenoid valve, and the drain inlet pipe provided at a predetermined location below the purification equipment has a substantially vertical shape. A means for connecting with the inflow hole is adopted.

Further, the present invention employs a means in which the drain introduction pipe has an inner diameter of 10 mm or more, preferably 14 mm or more.

Furthermore, the present invention employs means in which the sensor is a water level sensor having an upper limit sensor and a lower limit sensor capable of detecting an upper limit water level and a lower limit water level of the drain storage amount.

Furthermore, the present invention employs means in which the delivery hole is provided above the lower limit sensor.

Furthermore, the present invention employs means in which the outflow hole is provided below the lower limit sensor and above the bottom of the drain discharge chamber.

In addition, the present invention provides an energy-saving compressed air circuit that is packaged and includes a compressor, a purifier, and a drain trap. The drain trap includes a drain inlet chamber and a drain discharge chamber that are formed by providing a partition inside a drain tank, a control unit, and a solenoid valve whose opening and closing is controlled by the control unit. The drain inlet chamber includes an inlet hole that allows drain discharged by the purifier to flow into the drain inlet chamber via a drain introduction pipe, an outlet hole that penetrates the partition and sends the drain in the drain inlet chamber to the drain discharge chamber, and an inverted L-shaped outlet elbow connected to the outlet hole. The drain discharge chamber includes a sensor connected to the control unit and an outlet hole that sends the drain to the solenoid valve. The drain introduction pipe, which is provided at a predetermined position below the purifier, is connected to the inlet hole in a substantially vertical manner.

Furthermore, the present invention employs a means in which the control section is disposed on a control board of the compressor and interlocks with the operation of the air compressor.

According to the energy-saving drain trap of the present invention, the drain introduction pipe provided at a predetermined location below the purification device is connected to the inflow hole in a substantially vertical manner, so that when drain is discharged by the purification device, the drain It is possible to flow the contained foreign matter into the drain tank without leaving it in the drain introduction pipe, and it has an excellent effect of contributing to smooth drain inflow.

Further, according to the energy-saving drain trap of the present invention, the drain introduction pipe has an inner diameter of 10 mm or more, preferably 14 mm or more, so that the drain generated by the action of the purification device is immediately suspended downward. This has the excellent effect of contributing to smooth drain inflow without causing an airlock phenomenon.

Furthermore, according to the energy-saving drain trap according to the present invention, a water level sensor having an upper limit sensor and a lower limit sensor capable of detecting the upper limit water level and lower limit water level of the drain storage amount is used, so that This has the excellent effect of making it easier to control the opening and closing of the solenoid valve.

Furthermore, according to the energy-saving drain trap according to the present invention, since the delivery hole is provided above the lower limit sensor, the drain sent to the drain discharge chamber hangs down from above toward the water surface of the drain. As a result, the water force decreases, and the fluctuation of the surface of the collected condensate water is reduced, and a water flow is generated toward the bottom of the collected condensate, causing foreign matter contained in the condensate to sink toward the bottom of the condensate discharge chamber. It has excellent effects such as being easy to use.

Furthermore, the energy-saving drain trap of the present invention has an outflow hole located below the lower limit sensor and above the bottom of the drain discharge chamber, which has the excellent effect of discharging the drain without discharging the compressed air in the drain discharge chamber to the outside, while reducing the possibility of foreign matter present on the surface of the accumulated drain and at the bottom of the drain discharge chamber flowing out to the solenoid valve.

In addition, the energy-saving compressed air circuit of the present invention is packaged together with a compressor, a purifying device, and the energy-saving drain trap of the present invention, which makes it possible to reduce the amount of piping connected to each device, thereby contributing to space saving at the installation location.

Furthermore, with the energy-saving compressed air circuit of the present invention, the control unit is arranged on the control board of the compressor and is linked to the operation of the compressor, making it possible to use the same power source as the compressor for the control unit, and eliminating the need for a protective case for the board used in the control unit, which contributes to reducing the number of parts in the compressed air circuit itself.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of an energy-saving drain trap according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of an energy-saving compressed air pressure circuit according to the present invention.

The energy-saving drain trap according to the present invention divides the interior of the drain tank into a drain inflow chamber and a drain discharge chamber by a partition wall, and allows drain stored in the drain inflow chamber to flow into the drain discharge chamber by a delivery elbow. The main feature is that it is possible to reduce the shaking of the water surface that occurs when drain flows in.
Embodiments of the energy-saving drain trap according to the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

The energy-saving drain trap of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, but can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, i.e., within the scope of the shape, dimensions, materials, etc. that can achieve the same functional effect.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of an energy-saving drain trap 1 according to the present invention.
The energy-saving drain trap 1 of the present invention is a drain trap in which drain separated by the purification equipment 5 flows into the drain inlet chamber 20 via the inlet hole 21, is temporarily stored therein, is sent to the drain discharge chamber 30 by the discharge elbow 22 provided in the partition 11, and is then discharged to the outside via an electromagnetic valve 42 which opens and closes according to a sensor 31 provided in the drain discharge chamber 30.

The compressor 3 is a device that sucks atmospheric air through an air intake port, increases the pressure to a predetermined pressure (for example, 0.7 MPa), and compresses the atmospheric air.
The atmosphere contains water vapor and foreign substances (dust, sludge, microorganisms, nitrogen oxides, oil mist, etc.), and if an oil-fed compressor 3 is used, oil mist may be present in the compressed air produced. will be mixed in. The generated compressed air is sent to the purification device 5 via piping connected to the discharge port.

The purifying device 5 is a device that separates and removes water vapor and foreign substances from the compressed air generated by the compressor 3, and purifies the compressed air into clean compressed air.
The purifying device 5 is a device that purifies the compressed air sent from the compressor 3 by being disposed in the compressed air pressure circuit. For example, the purifying device 5 is a device that purifies the compressed air sent from the compressor 3. Air coolers, aftercoolers that lower the temperature of compressed air discharged from compressor 3, etc., air dryers that dry compressed air and remove moisture, and air tanks that temporarily store compressed air to reduce water hammer. etc. are possible.
At the bottom of the purification device 5, drain generated during the temperature reduction and drying process of the compressed air is stored, and the drain is connected to a predetermined location below the purification device 5 (for example, approximately at the center of the bottom). It will be discharged to the outside via the drain introduction pipe 6.

The energy-saving drain trap 1 is for temporarily storing drain discharged from the purifying device 5 via the drain introduction pipe 6 and discharging it to the outside at an arbitrary timing.
The energy-saving drain trap 1 includes a drain tank 10 that stores drain, a partition wall 11 that divides the inside of the drain tank 10 into a drain inflow chamber 20 and a drain discharge chamber 30, and sends drain from the drain inflow chamber 20 to the drain discharge chamber 30. a delivery hole 24 connected to the delivery hole 24, a sensor 31 that measures the amount of drain stored in the drain discharge chamber 30, and a solenoid valve 42 based on the measured value of the sensor 31. and a control section 40 that controls the opening and closing operations.
The drain stored at the bottom of the purification device 5 after being separated and removed by the purification device 5 flows into the energy-saving drain trap 1 via the drain introduction pipe 6, but the shape of the drain introduction pipe 6 By making the pipe shape such that it extends and connects substantially vertically toward the inlet hole 21 provided in the drain tank 10, the compressed air can flow in and out at the same time as the drain stored in the purification device 5 sags. This makes it possible to prevent airlock phenomena.
In addition, the drain introduction pipe 6 used in this case has an inner diameter of 10 mm or more, preferably 14 mm or more, and when using a joint etc., has a nominal diameter of 12 A or more, preferably 15 A or more. This allows the drain to drip down smoothly.

The drain tank 10 is a tank for storing the drain that flows in from the inlet hole 21 .
The capacity of the drain tank 10 is not particularly specified, and is determined by the amount of drain generated by the purification device 5, etc.
The drain stored in the drain tank 10 is discharged to the outside from a discharge hole 46 via an outflow hole 35 by operation of an electromagnetic valve 42 .

The partition wall 11 is inscribed within the drain tank 10 and divides the inside of the drain tank 10 into a drain inflow chamber 20 and a drain discharge chamber 30.
The partition wall 11 includes a delivery hole 24 for sending out the drain stored in the drain inflow chamber 20 to the drain discharge chamber 30, and a balance hole for equalizing the pressure of the compressed air stored in the drain inflow chamber 20 and the drain discharge chamber 30. 12 are provided respectively.
The installation location of the partition wall 11 is not particularly limited, but is determined based on the amount of drain produced by the purifying device 5, the amount of drain discharged by the electromagnetic valve 42, and the like.

The balance hole 12 is a hole that equalizes the pressure of the compressed air stored in the drain inflow chamber 20 and the drain discharge chamber 30, respectively.
The size and location of the balance hole 12 are not particularly limited, but it may be provided at a predetermined location above the partition wall 11, specifically, at a location located above the maximum storage amount at which drain discharge starts in the drain discharge chamber 30. is preferred. By adopting this aspect, it is possible to prevent the balance hole 12 from being blocked due to accumulation of drain, thereby preventing an airlock phenomenon from occurring in the drain inflow chamber.

The drain inflow chamber 20 is a chamber formed in the drain tank 10 by the partition wall 11, and is a place where drain discharged from the purification device 5 is temporarily stored.
The drain inlet chamber 20 is provided with an inlet hole 21 at a predetermined location on the top surface of the drain inflow chamber 20 through which the drain discharged from the purification equipment 5 flows, and at the same time, the drain stored in the drain inflow chamber 20 is sent out into the drain discharge chamber 30. A delivery elbow 22 for this purpose is arranged in such a manner as to be connected to a delivery hole 24 provided in the partition wall 11.

The inflow hole 21 is a hole through which the drain generated by the purification device 5 flows into the drain inflow chamber 20 via the drain introduction pipe 6.
The installation location of the inflow hole 21 is not particularly specified as long as it is on the top surface of the drain inflow chamber 20, but it is preferable to provide the inflow hole 21 at a location away from the partition wall 11 provided with the delivery elbow 22. By adopting this aspect, foreign matter such as dust contained in the drain increases in weight due to moisture content when flowing into the drain inflow chamber 20, and the weight increases before being sent to the drain discharge chamber 30. Since the foreign matter sinks to the bottom of the chamber 20, it is possible to reduce the amount of foreign matter contained in the drain discharged to the drain discharge chamber 30.

The delivery hole 24 is a hole that is provided at a predetermined location of the partition wall 11 and allows drain stored in the drain inflow chamber 20 to be sent to the drain discharge chamber 30.
Although there is no particular limitation on the installation location of the delivery hole 24, when a water level sensor is employed as the sensor 31 to be described later, it is preferable that the delivery hole 24 is provided above the lower limit sensor 31b. At this time, the drain sent from the drain inflow chamber 20 to the drain discharge chamber 30 hangs down from above the stored drain toward the water surface, and a water flow toward the bottom of the drain discharge chamber 30 is generated. Then, the foreign matter contained in the drain that has flowed into the drain discharge chamber 30 sinks toward the bottom of the drain discharge chamber 30 by the generated water flow and remains therein, which contributes to reducing the foreign matter sent out from the outflow hole 35. .

The delivery elbow 22 is an inverted L-shaped elbow connected to the delivery hole 24 with the water intake hole 23 facing downward, and serves to send the drain in the drain inflow chamber 20 to the drain discharge chamber 30.
Since the water intake hole 23 has an inverted L shape, drain is sent out from the water intake hole 23, which is a hole provided on the lower side, to the delivery hole 24. Therefore, when the drain stored in the drain inflow chamber 20 is sent to the drain discharge chamber 30, the drain existing slightly below the water surface flows into the water intake hole 23, and foreign matter, oil, etc. floating on the water surface are discharged. This has an excellent effect of suppressing the flow into the chamber 30.
The diameter of the water intake hole 23 is not particularly limited, and in addition to making it the same diameter as the delivery hole 24, it may be made to have a different diameter that is smaller than the delivery hole 24 to reduce the amount of drain water flowing out from the delivery hole 24. It is also possible to prevent drain from spouting out from the delivery hole 24 at the time of maximum outflow.

The drain discharge chamber 30 is a chamber formed within the drain tank 10, and is a place where the drain that has flowed in from the drain inlet chamber 20 is stored and then discharged to the outside via an electromagnetic valve 42.
The drain discharge chamber 30 is provided with a sensor 31 that measures the amount of drain stored in the drain discharge chamber 30 and an outlet hole 35 that allows the drain to flow out to the solenoid valve 42.

The sensor 31 measures the amount of drainage that flows into and is stored in the drain discharge chamber 30, and transmits the measurement result to the control unit 40, which will be described later.
The measurement method of the sensor 31 is not particularly specified, and by using a common means such as a water level sensor or a pressure sensor, for example, it is possible to accurately measure the amount of accumulated drainage.

When a water level sensor is used for the sensor 31, an upper limit sensor 31a is provided for the highest water level, and a lower limit sensor 31b is provided for the lowest water level, on the inner wall of the drain discharge chamber 30. In this case, by providing the lower limit sensor 31b below the delivery hole 24, it is possible to prevent the drain in the drain discharge chamber 30 from flowing back into the drain inlet chamber 20.

The outflow hole 35 is a hole through which the drain in the drain discharge chamber 30 flows out to the electromagnetic valve 42 .
There is no particular limitation on the size of the outflow hole 35, but by making it the same diameter as the pipe connected to the solenoid valve 42, it is possible to reduce pressure changes when drain flows out and reduce wear and tear on the connecting members. Become. Further, the position of the outflow hole 35 is not particularly limited, but by providing it below the sensor 31, it becomes possible to discharge only the drain by opening and closing the solenoid valve 42. By being provided above the drain discharge chamber 30, the possibility of foreign matter sinking to the bottom of the drain discharge chamber 30 flowing out to the electromagnetic valve 42 is reduced. Therefore, it contributes to the energy saving effect and cleaning when drain flows out from the drain hole 35.

It is also preferable to provide a water shortage sensor 31c at a predetermined location above the outflow hole 35 to detect a water shortage state of the drain amount in the drain discharge chamber 30. There is no particular limitation on the installation location of the water shortage sensor 31c as long as it is below the lower limit sensor 31b and above the outflow hole 35. By adopting this aspect, it is possible to send a water shortage warning signal to the control unit 40 before the drain in the drain discharge chamber 30 becomes dry, and it is possible to prevent compressed air from being discharged from the outflow hole 35. It becomes possible.

The control unit 40 controls opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve 42 based on data from the sensor 31.
The control determined by the control unit 40 includes not only the opening/closing control of the electromagnetic valve 42 but also the issuance of a warning of full water and water shortage in the drain discharge chamber 30. For example, if the sensor 31 uses a water level sensor, when the upper limit sensor 31a and the lower limit sensor 31b are ON, an opening instruction is sent to the solenoid valve 42 to prompt drain discharge in the drain discharge chamber 30, and When the sensor 31a and the lower limit sensor 31b are OFF, a closing instruction is sent to the solenoid valve 42, and the drain in the drain discharge chamber 30 is stored until the lower limit sensor 31a is turned ON. In addition, when the upper limit sensor 31a and lower limit sensor 31b continue to be detected as ON for a predetermined period of time, an open drain instruction may be sent to the solenoid valve 42 again and a full water warning is issued, as there is a possibility that a drainage abnormality has occurred. I will do it. Furthermore, when the water shortage sensor 31c is provided below the lower limit sensor 31b, when the water shortage sensor 31c switches from an ON state to an OFF state and continues to detect OFF for a predetermined period of time or more, a malfunction occurs in the drain tank 10 or the solenoid valve 42. Since there is a possibility that the drain discharge state continues, a closing instruction is sent to the solenoid valve 42 again and a water shortage warning is issued.
The predetermined time when the full water warning is issued is determined based on the time until the maximum drain storage amount in the drain tank 10 is reached, while taking into consideration the detection time that may occur instantaneously due to fluctuations in the water surface, etc. by the upper limit sensor 31a. It is something that Further, the predetermined time period when issuing a water shortage warning is similarly determined based on the time required for the water level to drop to the vicinity of the outflow hole 35, taking into consideration fluctuations in the water surface at the water shortage sensor 31c.
There are no particular limitations on the method of issuing a full water warning or a low water warning, for example, a method may be provided in which a display board is provided on the energy-saving drain trap 1 and a warning indicator light is turned on and a warning sound is generated, or a warning message may be sent to a work terminal. There are many possible methods.

The control unit 40 is connected to a power source capable of supplying power to the control unit 40, the sensor 31, and the solenoid valve 42. In the energy-saving compressed air circuit 2 in which the compressor 3 and the purifier 5 are arranged and packaged on a single board, as described below, if the energy-saving drain trap 1 is installed below the purifier 5, the control unit 40 can be connected to the board of the compressor control unit 41 and the same power source can be used to operate the energy-saving drain trap 1 in conjunction with the start-up of the packaged compressor 4.

The electromagnetic valve 42 is a drain discharge valve that opens and closes under instructions from the control unit 40.
When the electromagnetic valve 42 receives an opening instruction from the control unit 40, it opens the closed valve, thereby discharging the drain flowing in from the outflow hole 35 to the outside. Conversely, when a closing instruction is received from the control unit 49, the valve that has been open is closed, thereby stopping the drain from being discharged to the outside.

The discharge hole 46 is a hole for discharging drain to the outside.
Since the outflow hole 35, which is the upstream side of the drain hole 46, is provided below the lower limit sensor 31b, only the drain stored in the drain discharge chamber 30 is discharged from the drain hole 46. . Note that the discharged drain is clean drain from which foreign matter has been separated in the drain inflow chamber 20 and the drain discharge chamber 30.

Although not shown, a foreign object discharge pipe is preferably provided at a predetermined location of the pipe connecting the bottom of the drain inlet chamber 20 and the drain discharge chamber 30 or the outlet hole 35 to the solenoid valve 42 to discharge the remaining drainage stored when the energy-saving drain trap 1 is stopped, and to discharge foreign objects that have sunk in the drain tank 9 or the pipe to the outside. With this configuration, the remaining drainage and foreign objects can be discharged to the outside by automatically or manually opening the opening and closing valve provided in the foreign object discharge pipe after the compressor 3 is started or stopped. There is no particular restriction on the connection location between the foreign object discharge pipe and each device, but by connecting it to the approximate center of the bottom surface, the remaining drainage and foreign objects stored in each device are discharged evenly through the foreign object discharge pipe, reducing the amount of drainage and foreign objects remaining in each device.

The main operations and effects of the energy-saving drain trap having the above configuration will be explained based on FIG. 1. In addition, regarding the sensor 31 provided in the drain discharge chamber 30, water level sensors (upper limit sensor 31a, lower limit sensor 31b, and water shortage sensor 31c) are used.
First, drain generated from compressed air that has flowed into the purification device 5 hangs down the inner wall of the purification device 5 and flows into the drain inflow chamber 20 from the inflow hole 21 via the drain introduction pipe 6 . The drain that has flowed into the drain inlet chamber 20 accumulates foreign matter such as dust while settling therein. The drain stored up to a water level equal to or higher than the lower end of the outlet elbow 22 enters the outlet elbow 22 from the water intake hole 23, and the drain in the drain inlet chamber 20 reaches a water level higher than the outlet hole 24, so that the drain enters the outlet hole 22. Drain is sent out from 24 to the drain discharge chamber 30. Thereafter, the drain that has flowed into the drain discharge chamber 30 from the delivery hole 24 is stored in the drain discharge chamber 30 while flowing along the partition wall 11. At this time, if the sensor 31 provided in the drain discharge chamber 30 is in a drought state where all the sensors 31 are in the OFF state, the control unit 40 continues to instruct the solenoid valve 42 to close until the water level reaches the upper limit sensor 31a, and drains the drain. Drain in the discharge chamber 30 is stored.

When the water level of the drain stored in the drain discharge chamber 30 becomes higher than the upper limit sensor 31a and the upper limit sensor 31a transmits ON information to the control unit 40, a signal is sent to the solenoid valve 42 to lower the drain water level in the drain discharge chamber 30. An opening instruction is transmitted from the control unit 40, and the drain stored in the drain discharge chamber 30 passes through the solenoid valve 42 whose flow path is opened via the drain hole 35, and is discharged to the outside from the drain hole 46. The Rukoto.
Further, when the drain water level becomes lower than the lower limit sensor 31b and the lower limit sensor 31b transmits OFF information to the control unit 40, the control unit 40 issues a closing instruction to the solenoid valve 42 to raise the drain water level in the drain discharge chamber 30. The flow path will continue to be blocked by the electromagnetic valve 42 until the drain stored in the drain discharge chamber 30 reaches the upper limit sensor 31a.

Next, the energy-saving compressed air pressure circuit 2 according to the present invention will be explained. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of an energy-saving compressed air pressure circuit 2 according to the present invention.
The energy-saving compressed air pressure circuit 2 according to the present invention includes a compressor 3, a purifying device 5, and a drain trap, and is configured in a packaged manner.

As described above, the compressor 3 is a device that sucks atmospheric air through an air intake port, increases the pressure to a predetermined pressure (for example, 0.7 MPa), and compresses the air.
Furthermore, as described above, the purification device 5 is a device that separates and removes water vapor and foreign matter from the compressed air generated by the compressor 3 to purify it into clean compressed air.
Furthermore, as for the drain trap, the energy-saving drain trap 1 according to the present invention described above is employed.

The energy-saving compressed air pressure circuit 2 according to the present invention is formed by integrally packaging these components, and takes the form of a so-called packaged compressor 4. By integrally packaging each component, it becomes possible to reduce the amount of piping connected to each device, which also contributes to saving space at the installation location.
Although the specific structure for packaging is not particularly limited, it is possible to consider, for example, a mode in which each device is placed and fixed on a single pedestal or in a storage box.

It is also preferable to mount the drain trap control unit 40 on the control board of the compressor 3. By adopting such an embodiment, it is possible to link the control of the drain trap with the operation of the compressor, and the power source required for the control unit 40 can be the same as that for the compressor 3. In addition, a protective case for the board used by the control unit 40 is not required, which contributes to reducing the number of parts.

The main operations and effects of the energy-saving compressed air pressure circuit 2 having the above configuration will be explained based on FIG. 2. Note that the portions already explained as explanation of the energy-saving drain trap 1 will be omitted. Further, the control section 40 will be described assuming that it is disposed within the base of the compressor control unit 41.

First, when the packaged compressor 4 is started, the control section 40 provided in the compressor control unit 41 is also started, and the operation and status of the sensor 31 and the electromagnetic valve 42 are checked. At this time, if the inside of the drain discharge chamber 30 is in a dry state, the water will be stored until the water level reaches the upper limit sensor 31a, which is the condition for opening the solenoid valve 42.
When the power supply is stopped after the operation of the packaged compressor 4 is stopped, the operation of the compressor control unit 41 and the control section 40 is also stopped at the same time. Since it will stop in its current state, it is desirable to have a mode in which it is automatically closed when the power is stopped, or a mode in which it can be opened and closed manually.

The above describes the basic configuration and operation of the energy-saving drain trap 1 and energy-saving compressed air circuit 2 of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in the above embodiment and drawings. For example, a float-type water level detector may be provided as the sensor 31, and when the float rises to near the specified water level, the valve that was blocking the drain discharge hole is opened, as is also used in conventional drain traps.

As described above, according to the energy-saving drain trap 1 and the energy-saving compressed air pressure circuit 2 equipped with the energy-saving drain trap 1 according to the present invention, the inside of the drain tank 10 is separated by the partition wall 11 into the drain inflow chamber 20 and the drain discharge chamber. 30, and after storing the drain discharged from the purification equipment 5 in the drain inflow chamber 20, the drain in the drain inflow chamber 20 is sent to the drain discharge chamber 30 via the delivery elbow 22 and stored therein. It is possible to weaken the water force of the drain flowing into the drain discharge chamber 30 and reduce the fluctuation of the water surface. Opening/closing operations can also be controlled smoothly. In addition, by providing the outflow hole 35 below the sensor 31 and above the bottom of the drain discharge chamber 30, only clean drain can be discharged without discharging stored compressed air or foreign matter settled in the drain tank. is possible.
Furthermore, regarding the installation mode, it can be installed directly under the purification equipment 5, and there is no need for a drain intake mechanism or pressure equalization pipe to prevent an airlock phenomenon, so it is an energy-saving type drain that contributes to space saving in the work area. It becomes possible to provide the trap 1 and the energy-saving compressed air pressure circuit 2.

In a drain trap used in a compressed air pressure circuit, the present invention is capable of increasing the detection accuracy of a sensor that detects the amount of accumulated drain by reducing the shaking when drain flows in. It can be applied to various tasks that require fluid storage amount sensing operations. Therefore, it is considered that the "energy-saving drain trap and compressed air pressure circuit" according to the present invention has great industrial applicability.

1 Energy-saving drain trap 2 Energy-saving compressed air circuit 3 Compressor 4 Packaged compressor 5 Purification equipment 6 Drain introduction pipe 10 Drain tank 11 Partition wall 12 Balance hole 20 Drain inflow chamber 21 Inflow hole 22 Delivery elbow 23 Water intake hole 24 Delivery hole 30 Drain Discharge chamber 31 Sensor 31a Upper limit sensor 31b Lower limit sensor 31c Water shortage sensor 35 Outlet hole 40 Control section 41 Compressor control unit 42 Solenoid valve 46 Discharge hole

Claims (7)

A drain trap comprising a drain inflow chamber and a drain discharge chamber formed by installing a partition inside a drain tank, a control section, and a solenoid valve whose opening and closing are controlled by the control section,
The drain inflow chamber includes an inflow hole that allows drain discharged by the purification device to flow into the drain inflow chamber via a drain introduction pipe, and a delivery hole that penetrates the partition wall and sends out the drain in the drain inflow chamber to the drain discharge chamber. comprising an inverted L-shaped delivery elbow connected to the delivery hole, and a balance hole that penetrates the partition wall and equalizes the pressure of the compressed air stored in the drain inflow chamber and the drain discharge chamber,
The drain discharge chamber includes a sensor connected to the control unit and an outflow hole that sends drain to the solenoid valve.
An energy-saving drain trap characterized in that a drain introduction pipe provided at a predetermined location below a purification device is connected to an inflow hole in a substantially vertical manner. The energy-saving drain trap according to claim 1, wherein the drain introduction pipe has an inner diameter of 10 mm or more, preferably 14 mm or more. The energy-saving drain trap according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensor is a water level sensor having an upper limit sensor and a lower limit sensor capable of detecting an upper limit water level and a lower limit water level of the drain storage amount. The energy-saving drain trap according to claim 3, characterized in that the discharge hole is provided above the lower limit sensor. The energy-saving drain trap according to claim 3, characterized in that the outflow hole is provided below the lower limit sensor and above the bottom of the drain discharge chamber. An energy-saving compressed air pressure circuit packaged with a compressor, a purification device, and a drain trap,
The drain trap consists of a drain inflow chamber and a drain discharge chamber formed by installing a partition inside the drain tank, a control section, and a solenoid valve whose opening and closing are controlled by the control section,
The drain inflow chamber includes an inflow hole that allows drain discharged by the purification device to flow into the drain inflow chamber via a drain introduction pipe, and a delivery hole that penetrates the partition wall and sends out the drain in the drain inflow chamber to the drain discharge chamber. an inverted L-shaped delivery elbow connected to the delivery hole;
The drain discharge chamber includes a sensor connected to the control unit and an outflow hole that sends drain to the solenoid valve.
An energy-saving compressed air pressure circuit characterized in that a drain introduction pipe provided at a predetermined location below a purification device is connected to an inflow hole in a substantially vertical manner. 7. The energy-saving compressed air pressure circuit according to claim 6, wherein the control section is disposed on a control board of the compressor and is linked to the operation of the compressor.