JP2548656Y2 - Drain discharge device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Industrial applications] The present invention relates to the food industry, chemical industry,
A drain discharge device suitable for the pharmaceutical industry, a space station, and the like. For example, in the process of supplying compressed air to an air tool or a terminal device through a predetermined pipe from an air compressor (compressor), for example, is included in the air. The present invention relates to an air dryer used for removing moisture, oil (drain), and the like, and a device for discharging drain generated by condensation and separation to the outside.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of drain discharge device (hereinafter, referred to as "drain discharge device") has been proposed.
As a typical example of the device, a float type device is well known. On the other hand, the applicant of the present application has proposed an apparatus using the bubble point pressure of a porous body (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 3-140699 and 4-187201). This is constituted by providing a porous body having a bubble point pressure higher than the pressure of the gas received by the introduction port, in such a manner as to partition between the introduction port and the discharge port of the drain.

In this apparatus, in order to discharge (extrude) a drain that has penetrated (absorbed) into the pores of a porous body and allow gas to pass therethrough, the gas pressure received at the inlet is more than the drain pressure due to capillary action. Pressure, that is, greater than the bubble point pressure of the porous body. According to this apparatus, as long as the gas pressure received at the inlet is smaller than the bubble point pressure of the porous body, the drain continuously penetrates into the pores of the porous body without causing gas leakage. It is extruded by the pressure difference between the inlet side and the outlet side, passes through the pores, and is continuously and automatically discharged from the outlet. Therefore, unlike the float type, this device can discharge drain automatically and continuously despite its simple structure without any mechanical moving parts, and furthermore, scatter at the time of discharge. It has excellent effects such as no noise and noise.

[0004]

However, the device described in the above publication has the following problems. That is, in the drain, there are dust sucked from the air and particles of various compositions (for example, foreign matters such as iron rust and dust) generated from equipment (compressor and the like) to which the apparatus is connected and pipes for piping. ) Are mixed, and therefore, those particles reach the porous body and are clogged in the pores, thereby lowering the discharge ability, and the predetermined discharge is not performed. It was pointed out that there was. In addition, when the predetermined discharge is not performed due to such a decrease in the discharge capacity, the user is obliged to perform a troublesome operation such as removing the device and removing the accumulated drain. Was often difficult to clean and often needed to be discarded and replaced with a new one. As described above, since the drain discharge capacity is reduced, there is a problem that the labor and cost for maintaining the apparatus are large and the running cost is increased.

On the other hand, in the conventional apparatus, it is necessary to set a large safety factor in consideration of a decrease in the discharge capacity due to such clogging, so that the porous body (water passage area) must be increased more than necessary. However, the size of the apparatus has been increased. As described above, although the technology described in the above publication has some merits, it is just one step in terms of reliability and the like, such as a decrease in discharge capacity due to clogging of the porous body. An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and to provide a highly reliable drain discharge device capable of maintaining an initial discharge capacity for a long period of time.

[0006]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a porous body is provided inside the space between a drain inlet and a drain, and the porous body has a bubble point pressure. Wherein the pressure is set to be higher than the pressure of the gas received by the inlet, the drain discharging device for discharging the drain contained in the compressed gas such as compressed air, wherein the drain is mixed between the inlet and the porous body There is provided a particle collecting electrode for collecting (trapping) particles made of iron rust or the like by electrostatic force or the like.

In this case, the electrode for collecting particles may be provided so as to substantially block the flow path of the drain below the liquid level of the drain and from the inlet to the porous body. preferable.

[0008]

According to the above arrangement, when a voltage is applied to the particle collecting electrode, an electric field is generated around the particle collecting electrode.
As a result, in the process of introducing and discharging the drain, of the particles mixed in the drain, the positively charged particles are collected by the negative electrode, and the negatively charged particles are collected by the positive electrode by the electrostatic force. On the other hand, the uncharged particles cause electrostatic induction between the two electrodes of the particle collecting electrode, are connected in a bead by the attraction of each particle, and are collected between the two electrodes of the particle collecting electrode. Thus,
As a result of the transfer of these particles to the porous body being prevented, clogging of the pores is prevented.

Further, in the case where the particle collecting electrode is provided so as to substantially block the flow path of the drain below the liquid level of the drain and in the flow path of the drain from the inlet to the porous body. In the process of draining from the inlet to the porous body, the drain inevitably passes around the particle collecting electrode on the flow path. Therefore, the collection rate of the particles is improved.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a drain discharge device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In this example, the apparatus main body (hereinafter, referred to as the main body) 1 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a lid 2 is hermetically attached to a lower peripheral edge of the upper part of the apparatus via a ring packing 3. However, in this example, the cap nut 4 is attached to a screw formed on the outer periphery of the lower portion of the lid 2 via a flange provided around the outer periphery of the upper end of the main body 1. The lid 2 is provided with a drain inlet 5 on one side (the left side in FIG. 1), and is opened on the lower surface of the lid 2 via a conduit 6. Also, the other side of the lid 2 (right side in FIG. 1)
Is provided with a discharge port 7 and is opened at the central lower surface. In addition,
In this example, the inlet port 5 and the outlet port 7 are provided with pipe taper threads for pipe connection.

At the center lower end of the lid 2, a ceramic cylindrical porous body 8, which will be described later, is vertically suspended via ring packings 9, 9 on upper and lower end surfaces, and the lower end surface side is a disk. It is held in a form of being lifted by its upper surface through a flange 10 having a shape like a bolt.
It is screwed into a screw hole at the lower center to keep the lid 2 and the porous body 8 and the gap between the porous body 8 and the flange 10 airtight. Further, a felt 12 is stretched on the outer peripheral surface of the porous body 8 to prevent oil from adhering to the porous body 8 as a preliminary filtration layer.

On the other hand, on the outside of the porous body 8, a cylindrical partition member 13 for separating the inlet 5 from the porous body 8 is provided.
(See FIG. 2). However, in the present example, it is fitted and suspended via elasticity. The partition member 13 has a diameter-enlarging portion 13a covering substantially the upper end to the lower end of the porous body 8 and a diameter-reducing portion connected to the diameter-enlarging portion 13a via a perforated bottom 13b at the lower end of the diameter-enlarging portion 13a. And a reduced diameter portion 13c.
A bottom lid 13d formed in a cup shape is attached (adhered) to the lower end of the bottom cover. The gaps K1 and K are provided between the lower end of the enlarged diameter portion 13a and the upper end of the side surface 13e of the bottom cover 13d, and between the perforated bottom 13b and the bottom cover 13d, respectively.
2 are provided, and a through-hole 14 is provided in the reduced diameter portion 13c, and a drain passage is formed by the gaps K1, K2 and the through-hole 14 (see FIG. 3). Note that a through hole 15 is provided above the enlarged diameter portion 13a as an air vent.

Next, a particle collecting electrode (hereinafter, also referred to as an electrode) 16 which is a characteristic portion of the present apparatus will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the electrode 16 has an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the partition member 13 and a ring 17 made of an acrylic resin having a circumferential surface provided with circumferential openings (slits) 17a at predetermined intervals. On the other hand, holes (0.5φ) 17b are formed at predetermined intervals (2φ) along both open ends (upper and lower ends in FIG. 4).
mm), and two stainless wires (0.3φ) 16a, 16b on the positive electrode side and the negative electrode side are staggered through the holes 17b. Thus, the interval between the stainless steel wires 16a and 16b of the two electrodes is 2 mm. The ring 17 is attached to the partition member 13 in a headband shape around the gap K1, so that the two electrodes 16a and 16b of the electrode 16 are arranged in a net-like manner on the drain flow path. Have been. As a result, the flow path (gap K1) is substantially shielded by the particle collecting electrode 16. One end of each of the stainless steel wires 16a and 16b is led out of the apparatus through the lid 2 and is connected to a power source (DC 6V).

In this embodiment, a drain hole 20 is provided at the center of the bottom of the main body 1. Drain 1
The bush 21 includes a bush 21 screwed through the bottom, and a plug 22 screwed into the bush 21 and having a flange portion 22a at an upper portion and an orifice passage 22c at a shaft portion 22b. Then, as shown in FIG.
When 2 is at the lower position, while watertightness is maintained and drainage is prevented, when the plug 22 moves upward,
A gap is formed between the flange portion 22a and the bush 21, and the drain is discharged through the orifice passage 22c.

Incidentally, the bubble point pressure of the porous body 8 must be higher than the pressure of the gas received by the inlet 5. In this example, the ceramic is used, but the manufacturing method will be exemplified here. First, 100 g of alumina (average particle size 0.3 μm, purity 99.8%), 100 m of water
l, 1 g of polyvinyl alcohol was mixed with alumina sphere (φ1
(0 mm) into a polyethylene pot with 300 g, and mix them (120 rpm, 48 hours) to obtain a slurry. Next, an alumina porous tube (φ22 mm × φ18 m
m, porosity 35%, average pore diameter 2.1 μm, length 80 m
m) is wound around with vinyl tape and dipped in the slurry (for 30 seconds). Thereafter, the alumina porous tube is pulled out of the slurry and air-dried (15 hours). Further, the alumina porous tube is fired in an electric furnace (1270 degrees Celsius, 2 hours) to bake a microporous layer on the inner surface of the alumina porous tube. The microporous layer of the alumina porous tube thus obtained had a thickness of about 25 μm, an average pore diameter of 0.21 μm, and a bubble point pressure (water) of 7.8 kg / cm ² .

Next, regarding the operation or effect of the apparatus of the present invention, the drain outlet of an air dryer (not shown) for dehumidifying the compressed air supplied to a drilling machine (not shown) called a microcomputer puncher is provided. A description will be given of a case where the device is used by attaching the device. However, the porous body 8 is kept in a wet or moist state by being immersed in water in advance, and the pores are closed with water. The electrode 16
Is turned on, and 6 V DC is applied (energized).

When the air dryer is operated, the drain starts flowing from the inlet 5 and the liquid level L rises above the electrode 16. Further, the drain is separated from the gaps K1,
K2, through the through hole 14 to the inside of the partition member 13. At this time, since an electric field is generated around the electrode 16, the drain is applied to the mesh-shaped stainless steel wire 16 of the electrode 16.
When passing through the periphery of a and 16b, the positively charged particles of the particles R mixed in the drain to the negative electrode 16b, and the negatively charged particles to the positive electrode 16a, respectively, the electrostatic force (Coulomb force).
Collected by On the other hand, the uncharged particles induce electrostatic induction between the poles 16a and 16b of the electrode 16, are connected in a rosary sphere by the attraction of each particle, and are collected between the poles 16a and 16b. In this way, the transfer of the particles R mixed in the drain to the porous body 8 is suppressed, and the clogging of the porous body 8 is prevented accordingly. Further, in this example, the oil component in the drain separates and spreads on the upper portion of the drain. Therefore, the partition member 13 prevents the transfer of oil to the porous body 8, and is effective in preventing the porous body 8 from being clogged by oil.

The drain is further filtered by the felt 12 for oil and the like, penetrates into the pores of the porous body 8 by capillary action, and is gradually extruded by air pressure to form the porous body 8. pass. The arrows in the figure indicate the drain flow. In such an operation, since the bubble point pressure of the porous body 8 is larger than the air pressure, only the drain is discharged through the porous body 8 and no gas leak occurs. Then, the drain that has passed through the porous body 8 is discharged to the outside from the discharge port 7 in a form in which the liquid level rises and overflows. If particles adhere to the electrode 16 and become dirty, the electrode 16 may be removed and washed with a brush. In addition, the oil accumulated in the main body 1 may be treated in the same manner. When the ratio of the oil content is small, it is not necessary to provide a special discharge means, but if necessary, a separate discharge port may be provided.

The effect of the present apparatus was demonstrated by the following experiment as shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows the results of a comparative experiment performed over a period of six months when the voltage was applied to the electrode 16 and when it was not applied. As is evident from the above, in the device in which the voltage is not applied to the electrode 16, the discharge amount decreases rapidly,
After a few months, it has dropped to 1/3 of the initial emissions. On the other hand, in the device applied to the electrode 16, the discharge amount is hardly reduced, and it can be seen that the initial discharge capacity is maintained. As can be seen from this result, according to the present apparatus, the initial discharge capacity can be maintained for a long period of time, and therefore, the running cost can be reduced. In addition, since there is almost no decrease in the discharge capacity, the safety factor can be set small, so that the size of the porous body 8 and the device can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
Further, in the present device, since the porous body 8 blocks the permeation of bacteria, the porous body 8 also has a bacteria elimination effect of drain.

The drain discharge device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but may be embodied as follows. For example, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the pipe 30 may be extended from the pipe 6, and an electrode 31 may be provided at a lower end of the pipe 30. In addition, if the electrode is formed in a three-dimensional mesh instead of a planar mesh, the contact area between the drain and the electrode increases, and particles can be collected more effectively. Further, in addition to this, it is also possible to use electrodes having various configurations such as an electric filter.

Since the electrostatic force is proportional to the product of the electric charges of the two charged bodies and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the two, the distance between the electrodes is narrowed (the arrangement of the electrodes is made denser) or By increasing the applied voltage, the collection rate of particles can be increased. That is, the configuration of the electrode, the voltage, and the like can be appropriately set according to the amount of drainage and the contents (type, content, etc. of the particles). Further, it is not always necessary to constantly apply the voltage to the electrode. For example, when particles adhere to a certain extent, the electrode may be turned off to cause the particles to settle. In addition, as a power source, a lithium battery, a solar battery, or the like may be used in addition to a device that converts AC into DC.

The present invention is embodied in a drain discharge device in which the outside of the porous body communicates with the discharge port, and the inside of the porous body communicates with the inlet, contrary to the above embodiment. Of course you can. However, it goes without saying that in this case, the electrodes are arranged inside the porous body. It is sufficient that a porous body is provided so as to partition between the inlet and the outlet. Therefore, the present invention can be embodied in a drain discharge device in which the porous body is arranged in a partition shape.

Although the porous body 8 used in the above embodiment is made of ceramic, it is not limited to this.
For example, a metal or plastic material may be used. Depending on the purpose of the device, the use, etc., it will be appropriately selected and used.However, in order to improve the discharge efficiency, it is necessary to have an affinity with the drain and to easily penetrate it into the pores. preferable. Further, the average porosity and the pore diameter may be appropriately selected and used according to the received gas pressure, bubble point pressure and the like.

In the above embodiment, the case where the drain discharge device is attached to the air dryer is exemplified. However, the drain discharge device is attached to various air devices using compressed air as a power source, such as an air brake system, or pneumatic piping. Needless to say, it can be used. Of course, the applicable compressed gas is not limited to air.

[0025]

As is clear from the above description, in the present invention, in the process of introducing and discharging the drain, the particles mixed in the drain are collected by the electrode before reaching the porous body.
To that extent, migration of particles to the porous body is suppressed, and clogging of the porous body is prevented. Therefore, the initial discharge capacity can be maintained for a long period of time, maintenance can be facilitated, and running costs can be reduced. In addition, since the clogging of the porous body is prevented, the reduction of the discharge capacity is reduced, so that the safety factor of the porous body can be set to a small value. Therefore, it is expected that the apparatus is made compact and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

Further, in the case where the particle collecting electrode is provided below the liquid level of the drain and in a flow path of the drain from the inlet to the porous body, the flow path is substantially shielded. Since the drain naturally passes through the periphery of the particle collecting electrode, it is possible to further improve the particle collection rate, so that each of the above effects can be further enhanced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a central vertical sectional front view showing an embodiment of a drain discharge device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional front view showing a main part in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a particle collecting electrode used in the above example.

FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram comparing the change over time in the discharge capacity between the case where the voltage is applied to the electrode and the case where the voltage is not applied in the embodiment.

[Description of Signs] 1 Drain discharge device main body 5 Inlet 7 Outlet 8 Porous body 16 Particle collecting electrode R Particle L Drain liquid level

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Junichi Tokumoto 14-18 Takatsuji-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya Japan Special Ceramics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasuyuki Mizushima 14-18 Takatsuji-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya Japan Within Tokusangyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Zhu Takemura 14-18, Takatsuji-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya-shi Tokusatsu Tokugyo Co., Ltd. (56) References JP 3-140699 (JP, A)

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A porous body is provided inside a partition between a drain inlet and a drain, and a bubble point pressure of the porous body is set to be larger than a pressure of a gas received by the inlet. In a drain discharge device for discharging drain contained in a compressed gas such as compressed air, particles formed of iron rust and the like mixed in the drain between the inlet and the porous body are collected by electrostatic force or the like. A drain collecting electrode provided with a particle collecting electrode. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrode for collecting particles is provided in a flow path of the drain below the liquid level of the drain and from the inlet to the porous body so as to substantially block the flow path. The drain discharge device according to claim 1, wherein