JP7272695B2 - air compressor - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an air compressor incorporating an air compressor, an air tank and an air dryer, and more particularly to an air compressor for collectively discharging drain water generated in the air tank and the air dryer.

Compressed air generated by an air compressor is used for food processing, finishing of precision equipment such as lenses, cleaning and other end uses, and various other uses. Depending on the application of the compressed air, various devices are arranged in the middle of the pneumatic circuit until the compressed air is discharged from the air compressor. For example, when it is used for applications where it is strictly prohibited to bring out moisture, an air dryer is used in the middle of the pneumatic circuit. In order to remove this, an air filter made of resin or paper and having the shape of a mesh or a hollow fiber membrane, or an air filter wrapped with activated carbon is provided.

By the way, according to the configuration of the conventional compressed air circuit as described above, when the hot compressed air discharged from the air compressor is cooled in the pipeline, the amount of saturated water vapor under pressure also decreases, so that the water drains in the pipeline. There is a problem that water is generated and the drain water enters various devices in the subsequent stage. Therefore, in order to reduce the amount of water vapor in the compressed air generated by the air compressor, an air compressor in which an air compressor, an air tank, and an air dryer are incorporated to form a single package is adopted.

However, in the air compressor, drain water is generated due to a decrease in the amount of saturated water vapor when generating compressed air. In addition, in the air tank, the compressed air is cooled by the outside air during storage, thereby generating drain water. Furthermore, in the air dryer, the compressed air is cooled by the heat exchanger, and drain water is similarly generated due to the decrease in the amount of saturated water vapor under pressure. In this way, the air compressor, the air tank and the air dryer can all generate drain water.

Therefore, the applicant of the present application has developed a technology in which the drain water discharged from the air dryer is stored in an air tank located below the air dryer, and the drain water is discharged to the outside by a drain trap provided in the air tank. The technical proposal described in Japanese Patent No. 5017573 (Patent Document 1) has been made. According to this technical proposal, the drain water discharged from the air dryer can flow into the air tank located at the lower stage of the air dryer into the drain water stored in the air tank, and can be discharged from the drain trap. was to play.

However, according to the above technical proposal, the tip of the pipe through which the drain water flows from the air dryer to the air tank is positioned near the bottom of the air tank. If the internal drain water cannot be discharged, foreign matter such as dust contained in the drain water and precipitated may clog the tip of the pipe, and the undischargeable drain water may continue to accumulate in the air dryer. there were. Furthermore, since the tip of the pipe is located near the bottom of the air tank, it is difficult to restore the blocked pipe. Therefore, there has been a demand for an air compressor that reliably discharges the drain water generated by the air dryer into the air tank and contributes to improved maintainability.

The applicant of the present invention focused on the problem that the drain water could not be discharged in the conventional air compressor as described above, and came up with the idea that the drain water generated in the air dryer could be reliably sent to the air tank. By installing the air dryer at a higher place than the air tank and providing the drain water introduction port at or near the top of the air tank, the tip of the drain water pipe is not blocked in the air tank, and the drain water cannot be discharged. Developed an air compressor that can solve the above, and led to the proposal of the "air compressor" according to the present invention.

Japanese Patent No. 5017573

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an air compressor in which the air dryer is installed at a higher position than the air tank, and the drain water generated in the air dryer is allowed to flow into the air tank and be discharged to the outside together with the drain water generated in the air tank. The task is to

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an air compressor incorporating an air compressor, an air tank, and an air dryer, wherein the air dryer is installed at a higher position than the air tank, and a drain water delivery port is provided in the lower area. The air tank is provided with a drain water inlet in the vicinity of the top and a drain water outlet in the lower area . The drain water pipe does not extend inside the air tank , and the drain water generated in the air dryer flows from the drain water delivery port through the drain water pipe to the drain water introduction port, flows into the air tank , and hangs down . A means for discharging to the outside from the drain water discharge port together with the drain water generated in .

In addition, the present invention adopts means in which the drain water pipe is provided with a check valve.

Furthermore, the present invention employs means in which the drain water delivery port is provided with a drain trap.

Furthermore, the present invention employs means in which a union joint is arranged at a predetermined intermediate position of the drain water pipe.

According to the air compressor of the present invention, since the air dryer is installed at a higher place than the air tank, the drain water generated by the operation of the air dryer hangs down toward the air tank according to gravity. It is possible to smoothly flow the drained water into the air tank installed at a low place.

Further, according to the air compressor of the present invention, since the drain water inlet is provided at or near the top of the air tank, even if the discharge of the drain water from the air tank is delayed due to equipment failure or the like, Drain water from the air dryer can continue to flow into the air tank without clogging the tip of the drain water pipe due to flooding. It has an excellent effect of becoming.

Furthermore, according to the air compressor of the present invention, by providing the drain water pipe with the check valve, it is possible to prevent backflow of drain water in the drain water pipe due to the compressed air in the air tank.

Furthermore, according to the air compressor of the present invention, the drain water pipe can be easily connected and the pipe length can be finely adjusted by arranging the union joint at a predetermined intermediate position of the drain water pipe. It is possible and contributes to the improvement of workability.

It is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of an air compressor concerning the present invention.

The greatest feature of the air compressor 1 according to the present invention is that the drain water D generated in the air dryer 30 is caused to flow into the air tank 20, thereby discharging it to the outside together with the drain water D generated in the air tank 20. and
An embodiment of an air compressor 1 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

It should be noted that the air compressor 1 according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. It can be changed as appropriate within the range.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of an air compressor 1 according to the present invention.
The air compressor 1 according to the present invention is a unitized device in which an air compressor 10, an air tank 20 and an air dryer 30 are incorporated, and compressed air A generated by the air compressor 10 is temporarily stored in the air tank 20. After being stored, the air is sent to the air dryer 30, dried by the air dryer 30, and then sent to subsequent equipment for various purposes.

The air compressor 10 is a machine that compresses air to generate compressed air A having a predetermined atmospheric pressure or higher. exist. The system of the compressor used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and any system and structure can be used. The air compressor 10 is integrally provided with an air tank 20 for temporarily storing the generated compressed air A, and the air tank 20 is used for supplying the generated compressed air A to the air dryer 30. A pipeline 3 consisting of a hollow tube is connected.

The air tank 20 temporarily stores the compressed air A generated by the air compressor 10 , and the stored compressed air A is sent to the air dryer 30 via the pipeline 3 . A drain water introduction port 22 is provided at or near the top of the air tank 20, and the tip of the drain water pipe 5 made of a hollow pipe can be connected. A drain water discharge port 24 is provided in the lower region of the air tank 20 so that the drain water D stored in the air tank 20 can be discharged to the outside.

The drain water introduction port 22 is an inlet for allowing the drain water D generated by the air dryer 30 to flow into the air tank 20, and is connected to the tip of the drain water pipe 5 so that the drain water D of the air dryer 30 is drained. It is possible to flow into the air tank 20 from the drain water inlet 22 via the water pipe 5 . The inflowing drain water D hangs down from the drain water introduction port 22 into the air tank 20 and mixes with the drain water D generated in the air tank 20 to be integrated. Since the drain water introduction port 22 is provided at or near the top of the air tank 20, even if the drain water D cannot be discharged from the air tank 20 due to poor drainage or the like, the maximum capacity of the air tank is kept as an upper limit. Since the drain water pipe 5 is not extended inside the air tank 20 at that time, the tip of the drain water pipe 5 is flooded and contained in the drain water D Drain water D from the air dryer 30 can be continuously and stably flowed into the air tank 20 without being clogged by foreign matter or the like. it is possible to earn.

The drain water discharge port 24 is provided at a predetermined lower portion of the air tank 20 to discharge the drain water D stored in the air tank 20 to the outside. A drain pipe 7 consisting of a hollow pipe is connected to the drain water discharge port 24, and the drain water D flowing out from the drain water discharge port 24 is discharged to the outside via the drain pipe 7. Become.
A discharge device 40 is provided at a predetermined portion of the drain pipe 7 , and the drain water D sent from the drain water outlet 24 to the drain pipe 7 is discharged outside by the action of the discharge device 40 . The discharge device 40 is a device for mechanically discharging the drain water D to the outside, and for example, a drain trap or the like is used. Drain traps include an electromagnetic type, a float type, and the like depending on the discharge method, but are not particularly limited. Moreover, it is desirable to provide an opening/closing valve 9 in the front stage of the discharging device 40 as necessary.

The air dryer 30 is a device for drying the compressed air A sent from the air tank 20 via the pipeline 3 to remove moisture. The air dryer 30 is classified into a refrigerating type, a hollow fiber membrane type, an adsorption type, and the like depending on the method of removing moisture. The air dryer used in the present invention is not limited to any one of a refrigeration type, a hollow fiber membrane type, and an adsorption type, and is not particularly limited, but a refrigeration type air dryer is commonly used. be. A refrigerating air dryer is a device for cooling the compressed air A by using the latent heat of vaporization of the refrigerant and condensing and removing the contained moisture. be. The compressed air A, from which moisture has been removed and dried, is sent through a pipeline 3 to equipment disposed downstream of the air compressor 1, and is used for various purposes. In the refrigeration air dryer, in the process of condensing and removing the moisture contained in the compressed air A, the amount of saturated water vapor decreases due to cooling, and drain water is generated in the air dryer. 32 is provided, and the proximal end of the drain water pipe 5 can be connected to the drain water delivery port 32 .

The drain water delivery port 32 is provided at a predetermined lower portion of the air dryer 30 where the drain water D is stored so as to deliver the drain water D generated in the air dryer 30 . A base end of the drain water pipe 5 is connected to the drain water delivery port 32, and the drain water D delivered from the drain water delivery port 32 is sent to the air tank 20 via the drain water pipe 5. becomes.
By the way, although not shown, it is also possible to consider a mode in which the drain water delivery port 32 is provided with a drain trap. The drain trap mechanically discharges only the drain water D from the air dryer 30 to the drain water pipe 5 and can prevent the compressed air A from flowing into the drain water pipe 5 . Drain traps are classified into electromagnetic type, float type, and the like depending on the discharge method, but are not particularly limited.

In the air compressor 1, regarding the arrangement positions of the air tank 20 and the air dryer 30, the air dryer 20 is arranged at a position higher than the air tank 30 as shown in the drawing. With this arrangement, the drain water D generated in the air dryer 30 falls through the drain water pipe 5 according to gravity, and can be smoothly delivered to the air tank 20 arranged at a low position. Become.

The drain water pipe 5 is a hollow pipe for sending drain water D from the air dryer 30 to the air tank 20, and has a base end connected to a drain water delivery port 32 of the air dryer 30 and a tip end connected to drain water from the air tank 20. It is connected to the introduction port 22 . When connecting to the drain water inlet 22, a connection mode in which the pipe length is adjusted by appropriately arranging a union joint 5a at a predetermined intermediate position of the drain water pipe 5 is also conceivable.
It is preferable to dispose a check valve 8 at a predetermined position of the drain water pipe 5 as shown in the drawing. The check valve 8 functions to prevent backflow of the drain water D in the drain water pipe 5 . Specifically, normally, the air tank 20 and the air dryer 30 are in the same pressure state and balanced, but the amount of the compressed air A generated by the air compressor 10 and stored in the air tank 20 is larger than the amount of the air dryer 30 . It is assumed that the pressure in the air dryer 30 will be lower than the pressure in the air tank 20 when the amount of the compressed air A used after is increased. When such a pressure imbalance occurs, the compressed air A in the air tank 20 may flow into the low-pressure air dryer 30 in the drain water pipe 5, causing the drain water D in the drain water pipe 5 to flow back. Therefore, by disposing the check valve 8, it is possible to prevent such a backflow phenomenon.

A series of operations and functions of the air compressor 1 having the above components will be described.
In the air compressor 1 , the compressed air A generated by the air compressor 10 is temporarily stored in the air tank 20 and then sent to the air dryer 30 via the pipeline 3 . The compressed air A that has flowed into the air dryer 30 is dehydrated and dried, sent from the air compressor 1 to subsequent equipment via the pipeline 3, and finally used for various purposes. Become.

Drain water D generated in the air compressor 1 in the flow of the compressed air A is treated as follows.
That is, when the compressed air A is generated by the air compressor 10 , the drain water D generated due to a decrease in the saturated water vapor amount is stored in the lower region within the air tank 20 . In addition, in the air tank 20, the stored compressed air A is cooled by the outside air, so that the saturated water vapor amount is similarly reduced and drain water D is generated. stored. Further, the drain water D generated when the compressed air A is dried in the air dryer 30 is sent from the drain water delivery port 32 to the drain water pipe 5, passes through the drain water pipe 5, and is sent from the drain water introduction port 22 to the air tank 20. flow inside. At this time, since the air dryer 30 is installed at a position higher than the air tank 20, the drain water D in the drain water pipe 5 advances to the air tank 20 while naturally hanging down according to gravity. The drain water D flowing into the air tank 20 from the drain water pipe 5 mixes with the drain water D already existing in the air tank 20 and becomes one. The drain water D stored in the air tank 20 is discharged from the drain water discharge port 24 to the drain pipe 7 and finally discharged to the outside via the discharge device 40 .

As described above, the basic configuration mode and operation/action of the air compressor 1 according to the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration modes shown in the above embodiments and drawings. For example, in the above embodiment and drawings, the case of using a compressor with an air tank in which the air tank 20 is integrally provided with the air compressor 10 is shown, but the air compressor 10 and the air tank 20 are separate devices. 1 may be incorporated.

As described above, in the air compressor 1 according to the present invention, the air dryer 30 is installed at a higher position than the air tank 20, so that the drain water D generated by the operation of the air dryer 30 flows into the drain water pipe 5 according to gravity. can smoothly flow into the air tank 20 installed at a low place via the It becomes possible to discharge to the outside. Further, since the drain water introduction port 22 is provided at the top of the air tank 20, even if the drain water D cannot be discharged from the air tank 20 due to poor drainage or the like, the maximum volume of the air tank is the upper limit. Since the drain water pipe 5 is not extended into the air tank 20 at that time, the tip of the drain water pipe 5 is flooded and the foreign matter contained in the drain water D Drain water D from the air dryer 30 can be continuously and stably flowed into the air tank 20 without being blocked by the air dryer 30, etc., and it is possible to replace or repair the faulty part and allow time for maintenance. can also be earned.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be employed as an air compressor that efficiently discharges drain water and is excellent in maintainability in all fields that use compressed air, such as manufacturing and processing industries and cleaning industries. Therefore, it is believed that the "air compressor" according to the present invention has great industrial applicability.

1 air compressor 3 pipe line 5 drain water pipe 5a union joint 7 drain pipe 8 check valve 9 open/close valve 10 air compressor 20 air tank 22 drain water inlet 24 drain water outlet 30 air dryer 32 drain water outlet 40 discharge device A Compressed air D Drain water

Claims (4)

In air compressors with built-in air compressors, air tanks and air dryers,
The air dryer is installed at a higher place than the air tank, and has a drain water delivery port in the lower area,
The air tank is provided with a drain water inlet near the top and a drain water outlet in the lower area,
The drain water delivery port and the drain water introduction port are connected by a drain water pipe , and the drain water pipe does not extend into the air tank ,
Drain water generated in the air dryer flows into the air tank from the drain water delivery port via the drain water pipe and the drain water introduction port, and is discharged outside from the drain water discharge port together with the drain water generated in the air tank. An air compressor characterized by:
2. The air compressor according to claim 1, wherein the drain water pipe is provided with a check valve. 3. The air compressor according to claim 1, wherein the drain water outlet is provided with a drain trap. 4. The air compressor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a union joint is arranged at a predetermined intermediate position of said drain water pipe.

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