KR20160149519A - Compressed air dryer that recycling tank using dryed and compressed air in cooling process and compressed air drying method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a compressed air drying method and apparatus for removing moisture included in compressed air using a dehumidifying agent. As a dehumidifying agent stored in a tank of a regeneration process is heated and regenerated by heating part of produced compressed and dried air and is recovered, and cooled and recovered, there is no loss in the produced compressed air; generation of noise is low; and energy consumption is low.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a compressed air drying apparatus and a compressed air drying apparatus,

The present invention relates to a compressed air drying method and apparatus for removing moisture contained in compressed air by using a dehumidifying agent. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for drying compressed air, A compressed air drying method in which there is no loss of compressed air produced by recovering some of the produced compressed dry air after cooling the desiccant contained in the tank of the reclaiming process and recovering the desiccant, And apparatus.

Generally, compressed air drying apparatus for removing water contained in air is used in a wide variety of industrial fields such as automation equipment, semiconductor manufacturing line, coating line, and chemical process which causes chemical reaction in contact with moisture.

The compressed air drying apparatus includes a freezing type in which the temperature of the compressed air is lowered by using a freezing compressor and then the moisture contained in the air is condensed to be dehumidified and the compressed air containing moisture is passed through the tank filled with the desiccant, And the adsorption type in which the adsorbed moisture is adsorbed on the desiccant.

The adsorption type compressed air drying apparatus is classified into a non-heating type requiring no heat source and a heating type requiring a heat source according to the regeneration method of the desiccant. In the non-heating type, there is a disadvantage in that the energy consumption is large due to the consumption of compressed air required for regeneration as much as the heat source is not needed, and the heating type is advantageous in that the energy consumption is smaller than that of the non-heating type as the dehumidifying agent is regenerated by the heat source (heater).

The adsorption type compressed air drying apparatus constitutes two tanks filled with a dehumidifying agent. One tank performs the dehumidification process (dry air production process) of the compressed air while the other tank performs the dehumidifying agent regeneration process. After a certain time The tank that has undergone the compressed air dehumidification process (dry air production process) is converted to the dehumidification regeneration process, and the tank that has undergone the dehumidification regeneration process is converted to the compressed air dehumidification process (dry air production process).

As shown in FIG. 1, the adsorption-type compressed air drying apparatus constructed by the above heating method includes a first tank 10 and a second tank 20 filled with a dehumidifying agent, various valves for switching the supply direction of compressed air, A heater 50 installed in the flow path for heating the compressed air, and a cooler 70 installed in the flow path for cooling the compressed air.

1 is a view showing a state in which the first tank 10 performs a compressed air dehumidification process and the second tank 20 undergoes a dehumidifying agent regeneration step.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a thick solid line indicates the air flow in the compressed air dehumidification process of the first tank 10, and a thick dotted line indicates the air flow in the dehumidifier regeneration process of the second tank 20.

When the humidified compressed air WA is supplied to the lower portion of the first tank 10 by the control of the valves 21 and 24 and the valves 23 and 24, the humidified compressed air WA is supplied to the first tank 10 The compressed and dried air DA is discharged to the upper portion of the first tank 10 to discharge the compressed air that has been dried by the control of the valves 32 and 33 and off by 31 valves.

The second tank 20 performs the dehumidifying agent regeneration process while the first tank 10 performs the compressed air dehumidification process. The dehumidifying agent regeneration process is divided into a heating process and a cooling process. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the second tank 20 is in a heating process, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which a second tank 20 is in a cooling process.

The blower 40 sucks the air in the atmosphere and heats the air to 200 to 230 ° C with the heater 50 to control the heated air by controlling the valves 33 and 35, 2 tank (20).

After the heated air passes through the second tank 20, the dehumidifying agent in the second tank 20 is heated and regenerated. Thereafter, the control of the valve (valves 21 and 24 are off and valves 22 and 37 are on) 60 to the atmosphere.

After the heating process of the second tank 20 is completed, the heater 50 stops operating and the air supplied from the blower 40 is discharged by the valve control (valve on, 36 off) The cold air that has been cooled down by the cooler 70 is supplied to the lower portion of the second tank 20 and discharged to the upper portion of the second tank 20 so that the desiccant in the second tank 20 And then discharged through the muffler 60 to the atmosphere.

When the dehumidifying agent regeneration process of the second tank 20 is completed, the first tank 10 is switched to the dehumidifying agent regeneration process in the compressed air dehumidification process and the second tank 20 is regenerated in the dehumidifying agent regeneration process It is converted to a compressed air dehumidification process.

In the conventional compressed air drying method and apparatus constructed as described above, air in the air is sucked in the desiccant regeneration process.

The rainy season air has a high humidity. This high humidity air requires more heat to heat to a constant temperature than the dry air. Further, the blower 40 is operated during the dehumidifying agent regeneration process, and there is a problem that a lot of electric power is consumed and noise is generated in operating the blower 40.

Further, during the regeneration process, the dehumidifying agent is heated and the cooled air is discharged to the atmosphere through the muffler 60. In this process, a large noise is generated for a long time.

Document 1: Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1518297 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Drying Compressed Air Cooling Type Regeneration Tank Using Compressed Dry Air". Document 2: Korean Patent Application No. 10-1509153, entitled " Method and Apparatus for Drying Compressed Air Combined through Cooler after Cooling with Part of Compressed Moisture Air during Cooling Step " Document 3: Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1509152, entitled " Method and Apparatus for Drying Compressed Air to be circulated to a Dehumidifying Tank after Cooling Compressed Moisture Cooler during Cooling Stage "

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner, in which a compressed air produced in a compressed air dehumidification process is heated by a slight pressure through a blower, It is an object of the present invention to provide a compressed air drying method and apparatus capable of drastically reducing power consumption by reducing power consumption of a desiccant regeneration process and preventing a blower from being driven during a cooling process,

Further, during the regeneration process of the dehumidifying agent, the air used in the heating process is not discharged to the atmosphere but is joined with the inlet humidifier, and the mixed air is returned to the compressed air dehumidifying process to produce dried compressed air, Energy can be saved and no noise is generated during the discharge process, and some dry air is circulated without cooling during the cooling process, and then it is joined with the discharge drying air, so that the energy is widened It is an object of the present invention to provide a compressed air drying method and apparatus that saves the compressed air.

In order to accomplish the above object, the compressed air drying method of the present invention is a method for drying compressed air by sucking humid air from an air inlet of a compressed air drying apparatus through one of two tanks filled with a desiccant, Drying the compressed air, and discharging the compressed air to a discharge port of the compressed air drying apparatus; a part of the compressed air dried through the dehumidifying step is sucked into a blower and heated by a heater to flow into another tank filled with a dehumidifying agent, A heating step of joining the humid air sucked in the suction port of the compressed air drying device to the dehumidifying step; The dried compressed air discharged from the tank performing the dehumidification step is branched, the part is discharged to the compressed air dryer outlet, and the other part is passed through the heating tank to cool the tank after the heating step, And a cooling step of cooling the compressed air cooled in the coarse tank by a cooler, joining the compressed air discharged in the dehumidifying step and discharging the compressed air.

At this time, the compressed air used for heating and drying the dehumidifying agent in the other tank in the heating step is cooled by the cooler before merging with the humid air sucked in the suction port of the compressed air drying apparatus, and then joined.

In addition, the compressed air cooled by the cooler is configured to remove moisture with the sera paeter before joining with the humid air sucked from the suction port of the compressed air drying device, and to join the humid air sucked from the suction port of the compressed air drying device do.

In addition, in the cooling step, the compressed air produced through the dehumidifying step is branched and flows into the tank through the outlet of the compressed air drying device and the heating stage by providing the pressure control valve in the flow path to the compressed air drying device outlet And the ratio of the dried compressed air is adjusted.

The compressed air drying apparatus according to the present invention includes a first tank (10) and a second tank (20) filled with a dehumidifying agent; Valves (111, 114) for selectively supplying outside air to the first tank (10) or the second tank (20); A valve (121, 122) for selectively guiding the compressed air discharged from the first tank (10) or the second tank (20) to a compressed air drying device outlet; A blower 30 for sucking a part of the dried compressed air discharged to the compressed air drying device outlet and supplying the compressed air to the first tank 10 or the second tank 20 as a heating process; A heater (40) for heating the air after being inhaled in the blower (30); The heating unit heats the dehumidifying agent of the first tank 10 or the second tank 20 heated by the heater and then joins the moist air of the outside supplied to the first tank 10 or the second tank 20 A first cooler 50 for cooling the compressed air; A valve for branching the dried compressed air discharged from the first tank 10 or the second tank 20 which is the dehumidification process to the compressed air drying device outlet and the first tank 10 or the second tank 20 as the cooling process (121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126); And a second cooler (60) for cooling the compressed air that has cooled the first tank (10) or the second tank (20) as a cooling process and joining the compressed air to the compressed air flowing to the outlet of the compressed air drying device do.

The separator 70 may further include a separator 70 for removing moisture of the compressed air cooled by the first cooler 50.

The first tank 10 or the second tank 20, which is the dehumidifying step, is installed between the outlet of the compressed air drying apparatus and the first tank 10 or the second tank 20, And a pressure regulating valve 105 for regulating the ratio of the compressed air to be branched to the first tank 10 or the second tank 20 which is a cooling process.

The compressed air drying method and apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above is configured to heat the produced dry compressed air so that the blower is operated only during the heating process during the dehumidifying agent regeneration process and the blower is not driven during the cooling process, .

In addition, since the compressed air used in the heating process during the dehumidifying agent regeneration process is combined with the inlet humidifier without releasing it to the atmosphere, the mixed air is returned to the compressed air dehumidification process for regeneration so that the compressed air is not discharged to the atmosphere In the cooling process, some of the dry air is circulated without cooling during the cooling process, so that it is combined with the discharge drying air after the cooling, so there is no power consumed in driving the blower, It is possible to reduce the cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 and Figure 2 are flow diagrams illustrating compressed air flow in a conventional compressed air sub-tank.
Figures 3 to 7 are flow diagrams illustrating compressed air flow in a compressed air drying apparatus according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "comprising" another element in the description of the invention or in the claims, it is not construed as limiting that the element is comprised only of the element And the like.

3, the dehumidifying agent is filled with the first tank 10 and the second tank, and humidified compressed air is introduced into the first tank 10 or the second tank 10 And a blower 30 for supplying outside air to the inside of the compressed air drying apparatus, and a control unit for controlling the flow of the compressed air by heating the compressed air, A heater 40 for cooling the compressed air, and first and second coolers 50 and 60 for cooling the compressed air.

The valves 111, 112, 113, 114, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126 are controlled to be opened and closed by a controller (not shown).

While the dehumidifying agent-filled tanks of either the first tank 10 or the second tank 2 perform the compressed air dehumidification process for drying the humidified compressed air, the remaining tanks are used to dry the dehumidified moisture- Process.

4 is a view showing the compressed air flow inside the compressed air drying apparatus in a state in which the first tank 10 performs the compressed air dehumidification process and the second tank 20 performs the dehumidifier regeneration process.

In the figure, the solid line indicates the flow of compressed air used in the compressed air dehumidification process state, and the dotted line indicates the flow of compressed air used in the heating process during the dehumidifier regeneration process.

4, the humidified compressed air is supplied to the lower portion of the first tank 10 through the control of the valve (111 valve on and 114 valve off), passes through the dehumidifier in the first tank 10, Air is discharged outside the compressed air dryer through valve control (121 valves on, 122, 123, and 125 valves off).

A part of the dried compressed air produced and discharged through the compressed air dehumidification process of the first tank 10 is supplied to the second tank 20 and the dehumidifier is regenerated in the second tank 20 use.

4, the blower 30 elevates the dried compressed air produced and discharged through the compressed air dehumidification process of the first tank 10 and transfers the compressed air to the heater 40, After the compressed air is heated to 200 to 230 DEG C, the heated compressed air is supplied to the upper part of the second tank 20 by the control of the valve (126 valves are on, 122, 124 and 125 are off).

While the heated compressed air passes from the upper portion to the lower portion of the second tank 20, the dehumidifying agent in the second tank 20 is heated to remove moisture adsorbed in the desiccant, thereby regenerating the desiccant.

The compressed air that has adsorbed the moisture of the dehumidifying agent while passing through the second tank 20 is conveyed to the first cooler 50 by the control of the valve (the valve 113 is on, the valves 112 and 114 are off) ) Cools the compressed air in a hot state and merges with the compressed air supplied from the outside to the inside of the compressed air drying apparatus as shown in FIG. 4, so that it is subjected to the dehumidification process together with the moist compressed air supplied from the outside.

Since the compressed air used in the heating process during the regeneration process is in a high temperature state, the efficiency of adsorbing moisture by the desiccant is very low. Therefore, the compressed air is cooled through the first cooler 50 and merged with the moist compressed air supplied from outside do.

At this time, since the compressed air cooled through the first cooler 50 generates a lot of water during the cooling process, it is preferable to remove a part of moisture through the separator 70 and to join the air to the compressed air drying device from the outside Do.

After the desiccant is heated and regenerated while the second tank 20 is heated during the dehumidifying agent regeneration process, the second tank 20 is switched to the cooling process during the regeneration process after the heating process is completed.

The cooling process during the dehumidifying agent regeneration process of the second tank 20 is shown in FIG. 5, the solid line indicates the flow of the compressed air used in the compressed air dehumidification process state, and the one-dot chain line indicates the flow of the compressed air used in the cooling process during the dehumidifying agent regeneration process of the second tank 20.

The dried compressed air produced in the first tank 10 flows by control of the valves (valves 121 and 125 are on and valve 123 is off) and some flows to the compressed air dryer outlet port (Dried Air Outlet) (Valves 103, 113 and 125 are on, and valves 104, 112, 114, 123 and 126 are off) to the lower portion of the second tank 20.

The compressed air supplied to the lower portion of the second tank 20 flows into the second tank 20 and cools the dehumidifying agent in the second tank 20 and is discharged to the upper portion of the second tank 20. Then, (124 valves on, 122,126 valves off) and flows into the compressed air flowing into the compressed air outlet (Dried Air Outlet).

Since the desiccant in the second tank 20 is in a heated state, the compressed air having passed through the second tank 20 is in a high temperature state. Therefore, the desiccant in the second tank 20 is cooled through the second cooler 60, ) Through the pipe connected to the side.

As described above, the dried compressed air produced in the first tank 10 is diverted to the compressed air dryer outlet port (Dried Air Outlet) and the second tank 20, By configuring the valve 105, the ratio of the compressed air that is branched can be adjusted.

Alternatively, the ratio of the compressed air to be branched may be adjusted by configuring the valve 121 as a proportional control valve. Since the proportional control valve is a well-known technology, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, while the first tank 10 performs the regeneration process for about 4 hours, the second tank 20 performs the regeneration process consisting of the heating process for 2 hours and the cooling process for 2 hours, 2 tank (20).

6 and 7, the first tank 10 is switched to the dehumidifying agent regeneration step in the compressed air dehumidification process, and the second tank 20 is switched to the dehumidifying agent regeneration step in the second air- The regeneration process is switched to the compressed air dehumidification process.

The humidified compressed air introduced into the compressed air drying apparatus inlet by the control of the valve (111 valve off and 114 valve on) is supplied to the lower portion of the second tank 20 and discharged to the upper portion The dehumidifying agent adsorbs moisture and produces dried compressed air. The compressed air dried by the valve control (valves 124, 126, 121 and 122 are on) is discharged to the Dried Air Outlet.

The blower 30 sucks up some of the dried compressed air produced and discharged through the compressed air dehumidification process of the second tank 20 and supplies the compressed air to the first tank 10, Is used for the dehumidifying agent regeneration process of

6, the dried compressed air produced and discharged through the compressed air dehumidification process of the second tank 200 is sucked and transferred to the heater 400. The heater 40 heats the dried compressed air to 200 to 230 DEG C The heated compressed air is supplied to the upper portion of the first tank 10 through the control of the valve (125 valves are on, 126, 123 and 121 are off).

While the heated compressed air passes from the upper portion to the lower portion of the first tank 10, the dehumidifying agent in the first tank 20 is heated, and moisture adsorbed in the moisture is removed to regenerate the desiccant.

The compressed air that has adsorbed the moisture of the dehumidifying agent while passing through the first tank 10 is conveyed to the first cooler 50 by the control of the valves 111 and 113 and the valves 112 and 113, As shown in FIG. 6, to cool the compressed air in a hot state to join the compressed air supplied from the outside to the inside of the compressed air drying apparatus, and then to conduct the dehumidification process again.

After the first tank 10 is heated and regenerated through the heating process during the dehumidifying agent regeneration process, the first tank 10 is switched to the cooling process during the dehumidifying agent regeneration process.

The cooling process during the dehumidifying agent regeneration process of the first tank 10 is shown in Fig.

The dried compressed air produced in the second tank 20 flows by control of the valve (valves 122 and 126 are on, 121, 124 and 125 are off) and some flows to the compressed air dryer outlet (Dried Air Outlet) (112 valve is on, and 111, 113 valve is off) to the lower portion of the first tank 10.

The compressed air supplied to the lower portion of the first tank 10 is discharged to the upper portion of the first tank 10 after cooling the dehumidifying agent in the first tank 10 while flowing in the first tank 10, (123 valves on, 121,124, and 125 valves off) to flow into the compressed air that flows to the Dried Air Outlet.

Since the dehumidifying agent in the first tank 10 is in a heated state, the compressed air passing through the first tank 10 is at a high temperature. Therefore, the desiccant is cooled through the second cooler 60 and the valve 102, Dried Air Outlet) side.

As described above, the dried compressed air produced in the second tank 20 is branched into the compressed air drying device outlet and the first tank 10, and the pressure in the flow path to the compressed air drying device outlet By configuring the valve 105, the ratio of the compressed air that is branched can be adjusted.

Alternatively, the ratio of the compressed air that is branched may be adjusted by configuring the valve 122 as a proportional control valve. Since the proportional control valve is a well-known technology, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

6 and 7, while the first tank 10 performs the regeneration process for about 4 hours, the first tank 10 performs the regeneration process composed of the heating process of 2 hours and the cooling process of 2 hours, 1 tank (10).

When the dehumidifying agent regeneration step of the first tank 10 is completed, the first tank 10 is switched to the compressed air dehumidification step in the dehumidifying agent regeneration step as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, The process is switched to the dehumidifying agent regeneration process.

The compressed air drying method and apparatus according to the present invention having the above-described structure sucks up a part of the compressed dry air flowing into the discharge port of the compressed air drying apparatus by the blower 30, The compressed air used is returned to the inlet of the compressed air drying apparatus without discharging it to the outside to be recycled,

A part of the compressed dry air is used for the cooling process during the dehumidifying agent regeneration process by using the discharge pressure of the compressed dry air flowing to the discharge port of the compressed air drying apparatus and the discharged compressed air is discharged to the discharge port So that there is no loss of compressed air.

In addition, since the compressed air used in the dehumidifying agent regeneration step is not discharged to the outside, no noise is generated, and the blower having a large power consumption during the cooling process during the dehumidifying agent regeneration process is not used.

The technical idea of the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions.

Further, although not explicitly shown or described, those skilled in the art can make various modifications including the technical idea of the present invention from the description of the present invention Which is still within the scope of the present invention.

The above-described embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings are described for the purpose of illustrating the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

10: First tank
20: Second tank
30: Blower
40: heater
50: First cooler
60: second cooler
70: Separator
101, 102, 103, 104, 111, 112, 113, 114, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125,
105: Pressure regulating valve

Claims (7)

A dehumidifying step of sucking moist air in the air through an inlet of the compressed air drying apparatus and passing the dehumidified air through one of two tanks filled with a dehumidifying agent, drying the compressed air with dried compressed air,
A portion of the compressed air dried through the dehumidifying step is sucked into a blower and heated by a heater to flow into another tank filled with a dehumidifying agent to heat and regenerate the dehumidifying agent, And a dehumidifying step is carried out for joining with the heating step;
The dried compressed air discharged from the tank performing the dehumidification step is branched, the part is discharged to the compressed air dryer outlet, and the other part is passed through the heating tank to cool the tank after the heating step, And a cooling step of cooling the compressed air cooled in the coarse tank by a cooler, joining the compressed air discharged in the dehumidifying step to the compressed air discharged in the dehumidifying step, and discharging the compressed air. A method for drying compressed air joining compressed air.
The method according to claim 1,
The compressed air used for heating and drying the dehumidifying agent by flowing in another tank in the heating step,
Wherein the compressed air is cooled by a cooler before merging with the humid air sucked from the suction port of the compressed air drying device, and then joined together.
3. The method of claim 2,
The compressed air, cooled by the cooler,
The humid air sucked from the suction port of the compressed air drying device after removing moisture by the serpentifier before merging with the humid air sucked from the suction port of the compressed air drying device. A compressed air drying method that joins compressed air produced after use.
The method according to claim 1,
In the cooling step,
By providing a pressure regulating valve in the flow path where the dried compressed air produced through the dehumidifying step is branched and flowing to the outlet of the compressed air drying unit, the ratio of the compressed air that flows to the tank through the compressed air drying unit outlet and the heating step Wherein the compressed air is introduced into the compressed air produced after use of the part of the compressed dry air in the desiccant regeneration step.
A first tank (10) and a second tank (20) filled with a dehumidifying agent;
Valves (111, 114) for selectively supplying outside air to the first tank (10) or the second tank (20);
A valve (121, 122) for selectively guiding the compressed air discharged from the first tank (10) or the second tank (20) to a compressed air drying device outlet;
A blower 30 for sucking a part of the dried compressed air discharged to the compressed air drying device outlet and supplying the compressed air to the first tank 10 or the second tank 20 as a heating process;
A heater (40) for heating the air sucked by the blower (30);
The heating unit heats the dehumidifying agent of the first tank 10 or the second tank 20 heated by the heater and then joins the moist air of the outside supplied to the first tank 10 or the second tank 20 A first cooler 50 for cooling the compressed air;
A valve for branching the dried compressed air discharged from the first tank 10 or the second tank 20 which is the dehumidification process to the compressed air drying device outlet and the first tank 10 or the second tank 20 as the cooling process (121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126);
And a second cooler (60) that cools the compressed air that has cooled the first tank (10) or the second tank (20), which is a cooling process, to join with the dried compressed air flowing to the compressed air drying device outlet Wherein the compressed air is introduced into the compressed air produced after the use of a part of the compressed dry air, which is characterized in that it is used in the desiccant regeneration process.
6. The method of claim 5,
Further comprising a separator (70) for removing moisture of the compressed air cooled by the first cooler (50). The method of claim 1, wherein the compressed air is compressed air Drying device.
6. The method of claim 5,
By being installed between the first tank (10) or the second tank (20) which is the dehumidification process and the compressed air drying device outlet,
The first tank 10 or the second tank 20 which is a dehumidification process is controlled to control the ratio of the compressed air that is dried and discharged to the first tank 10 or the second tank 20, And a pressure regulating valve (105) for regenerating the desiccant. The compressed air drying apparatus further comprises a pressure regulating valve (105) for regenerating the desiccant.

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