JPH0518610B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a compressed air dehumidifying device for removing moisture from compressed air supplied from a compressor and supplying dry compressed air to pneumatic equipment. .

[Conventional technology]

The compressed air that operates pneumatic equipment contains moisture, and if this moisture is not removed, it can cause rust in piping and pneumatic equipment, and cause malfunction of the equipment. For this reason, in order to remove moisture from compressed air, methods have been used to remove moisture by adsorbing it with a moisture absorbing material or by cooling the compressed air with an expansion valve or refrigerator. Although the method using a refrigerator is reliable as it involves a drop in air pressure, it has its own drawbacks, such as complicating the device and requiring power, resulting in high operating costs. Therefore, vortex tubes that are more dehumidifying have been proposed. For example, in the 1980s
-See No. 7761. According to this prior art, compressed air introduced from an air introduction nozzle from a compressor is taken out as cold air from a cold air outlet at one end of the center tube of the vortex tube, and taken out as warm air from a warm air outlet at the other end of the center tube. A dehumidifying chamber for dehumidifying compressed air is formed between the compressor and the air introduction nozzle, and a heat exchange pipe connected to the cold air discharge port is connected to the dehumidifying chamber to exchange the cold air in the heat exchange pipe and the compressed air in the dehumidifying chamber. Heat exchange takes place with the air,
The compressed air is provided to dehumidify the compressed air, a cooling chamber is arranged around the central pipe, and a communication passage is provided for introducing the air after heat exchange between the heat exchange pipe and the dehumidification chamber into the cooling chamber. A compressed air dehumidifier has been proposed in which cooling is performed by flowing through a central pipe toward a hot air outlet, and the air after passing through a cooling chamber is arranged to be merged with air from a warm air outlet.

In this prior art, the communication passage is arranged to communicate the air in the dehumidifying chamber, which has been dehumidified by heat exchange with the cold air from the cold air discharge port, to the cooling chamber. In other words, a part of the air in the dehumidifying chamber is introduced into the vortex tube through the air introduction nozzle and is separated into cold air and warm air, and the cold air is taken out from the cold air outlet to the heat exchange tube and then passed through the compressor tube through the dehumidifying chamber. The compressed air in the dehumidifying chamber is dehumidified by heat exchange. Further, the remaining air in the dehumidifying chamber is introduced into the cooling chamber through the communication passage, and heat is exchanged with the warm air flowing in the center pipe of the vortex tube.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the conventional technology, a part of the air introduced into the dehumidifying chamber and dehumidified by heat exchange with a heat exchange tube through which cold air passes is introduced into the air introduction nozzle of the vortex tube and is dehumidified by passing through the heat exchange. After heat exchange for dehumidifying the compression chamber, the cold air is directly discharged to the outside. Therefore, the loss of energy available in the vortex tube is unavoidable. In other words, only a portion of the compressed air from the condresser is introduced into the air introduction nozzle of the vortex tube, which reduces the efficiency of the vortex tube and prevents the temperature of the cold air from being lowered. Efficiency deteriorates accordingly. In addition, the remaining air that has been dehumidified from the communication passage and has a lower temperature enters the cooling chamber, and by heat exchange with the warm air passing through the center pipe of the vortex tube, the temperature of the warm air is lowered. However, since the air used for heat exchange with the compressed air in the dehumidification chamber is discarded downstream of the hot air outlet, the temperature of the air inside the heat exchange pipes has decreased. Utilization efficiency is poor and a decline in dehumidification efficiency is unavoidable.

The object of the present invention is to solve the drawbacks of the prior art, utilize the cold air generated in the vortex tube without loss, and greatly enhance the dehumidification effect.

[Means to solve the problem]

According to this invention, the compressed air introduced by the air introduction nozzle from the compressor is taken out as cold air from the cold air outlet at one end of the center tube of the vortex tube, and taken out as warm air from the warm air outlet at the other end of the center tube, A dehumidification chamber for dehumidifying compressed air is formed between the compressor and the air introduction nozzle, and a heat exchange pipe connected to the cold air outlet is connected to the dehumidification chamber between the cold air in the heat exchange pipe and the compressed air in the dehumidification chamber. A cooling chamber is arranged around the central tube, and the air after heat exchange between the heat exchange tube and the dehumidification chamber is transferred to the cooling chamber. The hot air flowing through the central pipe toward the warm air outlet is cooled by the air flowing through the central pipe, and the air after passing through the cooling chamber is arranged to be combined with the warm air from the warm air outlet. The compressed air dehumidification device is characterized in that the air inlet nozzle of the vortex tube is arranged to receive the entire amount of compressed air from the compressor through the dehumidification chamber, and the upstream of the communication path to the cooling chamber. The end is connected to the downstream side of the heat exchange tube to receive the total amount of cold air after heat exchange with the compressed air to the dehumidification chamber.

[Effect]

According to this invention, the entire amount of the compressed air introduced into the dehumidification chamber from the compressor is introduced into the vortex tube through the air introduction nozzle of the vortex tube, contributes to the generation of cold air, and is sent into the heat exchange tube. The compressed air is dehumidified by heat exchange with the compressed air in the dehumidifying chamber. After exchanging heat with the compressed air in the dehumidifier, the entire amount of air in the heat exchange tube is introduced into the cooling chamber via a communication path from a discharge passage that opens downstream of the heat exchange tube, and is then introduced into the cooling chamber through the central tube of the vortex tube. As a result, it can contribute to lowering the temperature of the cold air from the cold air outlet of the vortex tube.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view of a device according to a first embodiment of the invention. This device consists of a vortex tube section 10 and a heat exchanger section 12 arranged in series. The vortex tube portion 10 includes a central tube 14, a first end body 16, and an intermediate body 1.
8, a flow ratio control valve 20, and an outer circumferential pipe 22 as basic elements. Central tube 14 is connected at one end to intermediate body 18 and at the other end to first end body 16 . An air introduction nozzle 24 is formed in the intermediate body 18 and opens tangentially to the central tube 14 . A cold air discharge port 26 opens at the center of the end of the central tube 14 close to this opening. See Figure 2. The other end of the central pipe 14 forms a warm air discharge port 28, and a flow ratio adjustment valve 20 is arranged at this warm air discharge port 28, and this flow ratio adjustment valve 20 separates the cold air discharged from the cold air discharge port 26 and the warm air discharge. This is for adjusting the ratio of warm air discharged from the outlet 28. A cooling chamber 30 is formed between the central tube 14 and the outer circumferential tube 22 . The cooling chamber 30 is communicated with a compressed air outlet 32, which also receives a dehumidified air flow to the warm air outlet 28 via the flow ratio control valve 20, and also receives the dehumidified air flow to the warm air outlet 28, as well as pneumatic equipment (not shown). connected to.

The heat exchange section 12 includes a heat exchange tube 34, a second end body 36, and fins 38 formed on the heat exchange tube 34.
and an outer peripheral tube 40. A dehumidifying chamber 42 is formed between the outer circumference of the heat exchange tube 34 and the inner circumference of the outer tube 40. The compressed air inlet 43 is connected to the second end main body 36
This compressed air inlet 43 is connected at one end to a compressor (not shown), and
The other end opens into the dehumidification chamber 42. The compressed air inlet 24 is located in the intermediate body 18 on the opposite side of the compressed air inlet 43 , and the air inlet 24
is open to the dehumidification chamber 42. This heat exchange tube 34
is in communication with a discharge passage 44 in the second end body 36, and this discharge passage 44 is connected to one end of an external communication passage 46, and the communication passage 46 and the other end are connected to the intermediate body 18.
The cooling chamber 30 is communicated through an opening 48 in the cooling chamber 30 . A drain 50 is provided in the outer tube 40 and is used to remove water condensed as a result of cooling and dehumidification within the dehumidifying chamber 42. Although the drain 50 is shown at the top in FIG. 1, it is actually provided at the bottom of the outer tube 40.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of each detailed part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and the same figure numbers as those in FIG. 1 correspond. 54 to 64 are O-rings in the connecting portion. Flow ratio control valve 2
0 is attached to the first end body 16 and a sleeve 6 is attached to the first end body 16 to allow threaded adjustment.
0 is fixedly installed, and the flow ratio control valve 20 is screwed into this sleeve 60.

In actual use, compressed air from a compressor (not shown) is introduced into the dehumidifying chamber 42 from a compressed air inlet 43 as shown by arrow a, and as shown by arrow b, the entire amount of compressed air from the compressor is It is introduced into the central tube 14 from the introduction nozzle 24 in a tangential direction. As a result, a vortex is formed in the central tube 14, with cold air forming in the center and warm air surrounding it. The warm air is discharged from one end of the central pipe 14 through the flow ratio control valve 20 as indicated by arrows c and d, and the temperature of the cold air reaches approximately -30°C. This cold air is introduced from the cold air discharge port 26 into the heat exchange tube 34 as shown by arrow e. At this time, the air in the dehumidification chamber 42 exchanges heat with the air in the heat exchange tube 34 via the fins 38, and the compressed air in the dehumidification chamber 42 is strongly cooled and the moisture contained therein is condensed. Dehumidified. The water is discharged from the water drain 50.

After being dehumidified in this manner, the still-low-temperature air in the heat exchange tube enters the cooling chamber 30 as shown by arrow g via the discharge passage 44 and communication passage 46 as shown by arrow f. Since the temperature of this air is still low (about 20°C), it is heated by the warm air passing through the central pipe 14, while the warm air passing through the central pipe 14 is cooled, and the temperatures of the two approaches each other. become. The entire amount of air in the heat exchange tube 34 is introduced into the cooling chamber 30 through the exhaust passage 44, the communication passage 46, and the opening 48, and can be used to cool the warm air flowing inside the central tube 14. Increased efficiency and cold air outlet 26
The temperature of the cold air is further reduced, allowing for efficient cooling. Note that fins 64 may be formed on the outer periphery of the central tube 14 to enhance the heat exchange effect. Thereafter, the air is introduced into the compressed air outlet 32 as indicated by arrow h, combined with warm air from the center tube of the vortex tube as indicated by arrow d, and is supplied to pneumatic equipment (not shown). In this embodiment, since the vortex tube section 10 and the heat exchange section 12 are arranged in series, the cold air discharge port 26 can be opened directly into the dehumidification chamber 42. Therefore, heat loss of cold air is small, and cooling efficiency can be increased.

Fig. 4 shows an outline of the dehumidification system of this invention. Compressed air from the compressor is first introduced into the dehumidification device shown in Fig. 1, and the compressed air after dehumidification is used in pneumatic equipment. . Since the dehumidifier is placed in front of the pneumatic equipment, the vortex tube provides sufficiently low-temperature cold air to achieve a high dehumidifying effect.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the dehumidification device, in which a vortex tube section and a heat exchanger section are arranged concentrically in the radial direction. This example is the first
For parts equivalent to the example, refer to the number.
It is indicated by the part number with 100 added. Humid compressed air from the compressor enters the dehumidifying chamber 142 located on the outer periphery, and the dehumidified air exits at one end via an external pipe 124A and then enters the air introduction nozzle 124 of the vortex tube.
The cold air enters the intermediate chamber 129 located inside the dehumidifying chamber 142 from the cold air outlet 126 through the external pipe 60, and then passes through the opening 148 formed in the intermediate pipe 62 into the cooling chamber 130. is introduced into the central tube 140 of the vortex tube.
The warm air passing through is cooled and then discharged to the exterior passageway 132. The warm air in the center pipe 140 of the vortex tube passes through the flow ratio control valve 128 and is merged into the passage 132. In this embodiment, since the vortex tube and the heat exchanger are arranged concentrically in the radial direction, it is suitable for designing a compact length dimension. In this embodiment, the heat exchange tube 134 and the intermediate pipe 62 must be made of a heat insulating material to prevent heat transfer. As a result, the air in the dehumidifying chamber 142 is well cooled by the air in the cooler 130, and the cooling chamber 142 is further cooled through the opening 148.
The original effect of cooling the central pipe 114 by the still-low-temperature air that has entered 30, lowering the temperature of the cold air discharged from the air discharge nozzle 126, and increasing the efficiency of dehumidification can be achieved. In this embodiment, the intermediate chamber 129 and the opening 14
8 constitutes the communication path of the present invention (corresponding to 46 in the embodiment of FIG. 1).

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the invention, the air inlet nozzle of the vortex tube receives the entire amount of dehumidified air in the dehumidification chamber from the compressed air compressor, and the cold air from the cold air outlet after passing through the vortex tube passes through the heat exchange tube. It enters the cooling chamber from the communication path through the
It is used for heat exchange with the warm air flowing through the central pipe. In other words, the entire amount of compressed air from the compressor is introduced into the air introduction nozzle, increasing the cold air generation efficiency in the vortex tube, and the cold air from the cold air outlet after heat exchange with the compressed air in the dehumidifying chamber is wasted. Rather than being thrown away, the entire amount is introduced into the cooling chamber and contributes to the cooling of the warm air flowing through the center tube of the vortex tube. Therefore, the cold air from the vortex tube can be used more effectively, and the overall dehumidification efficiency can be significantly improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dehumidifying device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the dehumidifying device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the connection arrangement between the compressor and pneumatic equipment of the dehumidifying device of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the second embodiment. 10...Vortex tube part, 12...Heat exchange part, 14...Center pipe, 20...Flow rate ratio control valve, 24...Air introduction nozzle, 26...Cold air discharge port, 30...Cooling chamber, 34 ...Heat exchange tube, 38...
...Fin, 42...Dehumidification chamber, 46...Communication path.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The compressed air introduced from the compressor through the air introduction nozzle is taken out as cold air from the cold air outlet at one end of the center tube of the vortex tube, and taken out as warm air from the warm air outlet at the other end of the center tube, and the compressed air is taken out as warm air from the warm air outlet at the other end of the center tube of the vortex tube. A dehumidifying chamber for dehumidifying the compressed air is formed between the cold air outlet and the heat exchange tube connected to the cold air outlet. A communication path is provided to dehumidify the compressed air, a cooling chamber is disposed around the central tube, and the air after heat exchange between the heat exchange tube and the dehumidification chamber is introduced into the cooling chamber. In a compressed air dehumidifier, the warm air flowing in the central pipe toward the warm air outlet is cooled, and the air after passing through the cooling chamber is arranged to be combined with the warm air from the warm air outlet. , the air inlet nozzle of the vortex tube is arranged to receive the entire amount of compressed air from the compressor through the dehumidification chamber, and the upstream end of the communication path to the cooling chamber is arranged to receive the entire amount of compressed air from the compressor through the dehumidification chamber. A compressed air dehumidifying device characterized in that it is connected downstream of a heat exchange pipe to receive the entire amount of cold air after heat exchange.