Separation device

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of separation removal devices (10), with: the shell (11) with flow inlet (12) and flow outlet (13);And the oil removal component (30) for separating and removing oil from the oil in the compressed air passing through is housed in shell (11), the separation removal device (10) makes the compressed air flowing into shell (11) from flow inlet (12) from flow outlet (13) and flows out from the oil removal component (30), it is configured to have detector (20), the detector (20) carries out the indication corresponding to the amount of oil contained in the compressed air passing through oil removal component (30).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a separation device that separates and removes oil from compressed air. BACKGROUND

[0002] A compressed air circuit that is connected to an air compressor, an air gun, or the like is provided with a separation device that separates and removes oil components from compressed air flowing in the circuit (for example, Patent Literature 1). In a compressed air circuit provided with such a separation device, clean compressed air from which oil components have been removed can be supplied to the air compressor, and the air compressor can be made to operate normally for a long period of time.

[0003] Such a separation device provided in a compressed air circuit is a structure in which an oil component removal member (for example, an oil component adsorbing material) that separates and removes oil components from compressed air is filled in a housing (hollow cylinder) provided with an inflow port and an outflow port (exhaust port). Furthermore, oil components in compressed air flowing into the housing from the inflow port are removed by the oil component removal member, and the compressed air from which the oil components have been removed flows out from the outflow port.

[0004] (Patent Literature)

[0005] (Patent Literature)

[0006] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-20112 SUMMARY

[0007] (Problem to be Solved by the Invention)

[0008] In the separation device of the above-described structure, the oil component removal performance (adsorbing performance) of the oil component removal member, such as an adsorbing material, decreases as time passes since the separation device is used. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the adsorbing material at an appropriate timing. In the conventional separation device, the adsorbing material is replaced every certain time regardless of the actual oil component removal performance of the adsorbing material.

[0009] However, the oil component removal performance of the adsorbing material housed in the separation device varies depending on the passage condition of compressed air in the separation device, the amount of oil components contained in the compressed air, and the like, which are related to the usage condition of the air compressor connected to the compressed air circuit provided with the separation device. Therefore, if the adsorbing material is simply exchanged every certain time, it can lead to a situation where the adsorbing material that cannot sufficiently remove oil components is continuously used, or a situation where the adsorbing material is replaced although it still has an allowable oil component removal performance, and the like, and it is inevitable that the replacement of the adsorbing material cannot be appropriately performed.

[0010] The present application has been made in view of such a situation, and provides a separation device in which an oil component removal member can be replaced at an appropriate timing.

[0011] (Measures taken to solve the problem)

[0012] The separation device of the present application is a separation removal device having a housing having a flow inlet and a flow outlet, and an oil removal member housed in the housing to separate and remove oil from passing compressed air, the separation removal device causing compressed air flowing into the housing from the flow inlet to flow out from the flow outlet through the oil removal member, the separation device being structured to have a conduit extending with a leading end located in the oil removal member in the housing, a detection tube being elongated to indicate in correspondence with an amount of oil contained in passing compressed air, and a holding member formed with a flow path and fixed to the housing in a manner that the conduit and the flow path communicate, while detachably holding the detection tube in a manner that compressed air flowing into the detection tube through the conduit and the flow path from the oil removal member is introduced into the detection tube.

[0013] With this structure, in a condition where the separation device is used in a manner that compressed air flowing into the housing from the flow inlet flows out from the flow outlet through the oil removal member, a part of the compressed air flowing in the oil removal member in the housing is introduced into the conduit, the compressed air introduced into the conduit is introduced into the detection tube held in the holding member through the flow path of the holding member. The detection tube indicates in correspondence with an amount of oil contained in the passing compressed air as the compressed air introduced into the detection tube passes through the detection tube. The removal performance of the oil removal member can be judged from the indication of the detection tube. Specifically, the degree of the decrease in the removal performance of the oil removal member can be judged to be larger from the indication of the detection tube in correspondence with a larger amount of oil contained in the compressed air. On the other hand, the degree of the decrease in the removal performance of the oil removal member can be judged to be smaller from the indication of the detection tube in correspondence with a smaller amount of oil contained in the compressed air.

[0014] In the separation device of the present application, the holding member can be structured to have a valve unit that opens and closes the flow path.

[0015] In a state where the flow path of the holding member is closed by the valve unit, the detection tube can be held (replaced) to the holding member. After the detection tube is held to the holding member (after replacement), if the flow path of the holding member is made to be in an open state by the valve unit, the detection tube can indicate in correspondence with an amount of oil contained in passing compressed air.

[0016] In the separation device of the present application, the holding member can be structured to have a detection tube holder detachably holding one end portion of the detection tube, and a connection block connecting the detection tube holder and the conduit.

[0017] With this structure, while one end of the elongated detection tube is held in the detection tube holder, compressed air from the oil removal component, which is introduced into the conduit, is introduced into the detection tube held in the detection tube holder through the flow path of the connecting block.

[0018] In the separation device of the present invention, the oil separator is configured to have a detection tube housing, one end of which is detachably attached to the detection tube holder, and the other end is formed with a through hole to allow observation of the state of the detection tube from the outside.

[0019] With this structure, the detection tube, with one end held in the detection tube holder, can be protected by the detection tube housing in a state that allows external observation. Furthermore, compressed air can flow through the detection tube covered by the housing and exit through a through-hole in the housing to the outside. The detection tube housing can be removed from the detection tube holder, thereby allowing replacement of the detection tube held in the holder.

[0020] In the separation device of the present invention, the outlet can be configured such that the outlet is located closer to the top of the inlet in the height direction of the housing, the conduit extends along the height direction of the housing, and the front end of the conduit is located between the inlet and the outlet in the height direction of the housing.

[0021] With this structure, a portion of the compressed air flowing into the housing from the inlet and traveling towards the outlet, which is closer to the top than the inlet, is introduced into a conduit. The compressed air introduced into the conduit and traveling further upward passes through the flow path of the retaining member and is then introduced into the detection tube held in the retaining member.

[0022] In the separation device of the present invention, the outlet can be configured to be located at the upper end of the housing.

[0023] With this structure, a portion of the compressed air that flows into the housing from the inlet and travels within the oil removal component toward the outlet located at the upper end of the housing is introduced into the conduit.

[0024] In the separation device of the present invention, the inlet can be configured to be located at the lower end of the housing.

[0025] With this structure, a portion of the compressed air that flows into the housing from the inlet located at the lower end of the housing and travels towards the outlet in the oil removal component is introduced into the conduit.

[0026] (The effect of the invention)

[0027] According to the separation device of the present invention, the oil removal performance of the oil removal component can be determined according to the indication of the detection tube, so the oil removal component can be replaced at the appropriate time. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 A perspective view showing the appearance of the separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 To show in magnified form Figure 1 The three-dimensional view of a portion of region E is simultaneously decomposed.

[0030] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view illustrating a separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view showing the oil separator detector used in the separation device.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a front view of the detection tube used in the oil separator detector. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] A separation device according to one embodiment of the present invention is as follows: Figures 1-3 It is constructed as shown. Furthermore... Figure 1 A perspective view showing the appearance of the separation device. Figure 2 To show in magnified form Figure 1 The three-dimensional view of a portion of region E is simultaneously decomposed. Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the separation device.

[0035] exist Figures 1-3 In this device, the separation apparatus 10 has a housing 11. The housing 11 has a cylindrical housing body 11a, an upper cover 11b covering the upper surface of the housing body 11a, a lower cover 11c covering the lower surface of the housing body 11a, and a foot 11c fixed to the lower cover 11c. The upper cover 11b (the upper end of the housing 11) is provided with an outlet 13 connected to the inside of the housing body 11a, and the lower cover 11b (the lower end of the housing 11) is provided with an inlet 12 connected to the inside of the housing body 11a.

[0036] The housing body 11a is filled with an adsorbent material 30 (oil removal component: for example, polypropylene fiber) that adsorbs oil from the compressed air and separates it from the compressed air. Furthermore, the separation device 10 is connected to a compressed air circuit (not shown) such that compressed air flowing into the housing body 11a from the lower inlet 12 passes through the adsorbent material 30 and flows out from the upper outlet 13.

[0037] The separation device 10 has an oil separator 20 that indicates the amount of oil contained in the compressed air passing through the adsorbent material 30. The oil separator 20 has a structure in which a conduit 22, a holding member 25, and a detection tube 21 are connected in series along the longitudinal direction (height direction). The front end of the conduit 22 is located between the inlet 12 and the outlet 13 in the height direction of the housing 10, that is, at a predetermined position in the height direction within the adsorbent material 30 filling the housing body 10a.

[0038] Furthermore, referring to Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 It is understood that the holding member 25 of the oil separator 20 has a detection tube holder 24 that detachably holds one end of the detection tube 21 and a connecting block 23 fixed to the upper cover 10b of the housing 10. The connecting block 23 connects the conduit 22 extending in the housing body 10a (adsorbent material 30) and the detection tube holder 24. The holding member 25, composed of the connecting block 23 and the detection tube holder 24, forms a flow path 25a extending through the entire connecting block 23 and the detection tube holder 24. The flow path 25a communicates with the conduit 22 and guides compressed air passing through the conduit 22 to the detection tube 21 held in the detection tube holder 24. The portion of the flow path 25a formed in the detection tube holder 24 includes a narrow passage 24a for guiding an appropriate amount of compressed air to the detection tube 21. An O-ring 28 for maintaining airtightness is provided at one end of the detection tube 21 held in the detection tube holder 24.

[0039] A valve unit (not shown) for opening and closing flow path 25a is provided on the connecting block 23 of the holding member 25. The valve unit opens and closes flow path 25a according to the operation of the operating lever 26. The oil separator detector 20 also has a detection tube housing 27, which covers the detection tube 21 held in the detection tube holder 24 so that the detection tube 21 can be observed from the outside. The detection tube housing 27 is a structure consisting of a connecting part 27a that can be detachably attached to the detection tube holder 24, a cylindrical body 27b made of a transparent material (glass, resin, etc.), and an end cap 27c with a through hole 27d formed on the front end face, connected in series along their respective length directions.

[0040] The elongated detection tube 21 has Figure 5 The appearance shown indicates the amount of oil contained in the compressed air passing through the pipe. For example, AIRTECH's "No. 109AD" can be used as this detection pipe 21. Figure 5 In the middle, the circumferential surface of the detection tube 21 has markings indicating the amount of oil in the compressed air passing through it (0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 mg / m³). 3The scale 21a (numerical value) indicates the amount of oil in the compressed air. The detection tube 21 contains a reagent that changes color due to the oil content in the compressed air. The numerical value of scale 21a, corresponding to the boundary of the different colors produced by the color change, indicates the amount of oil in the compressed air. The more oil in the compressed air, the further downstream the color-changing area extends from the compressed air flow F, and the boundary of the different colors corresponds to a larger numerical value of scale 21a (indicating a greater amount of oil).

[0041] In the separation device 10 described above, the flow path 25a of the retaining component 25 (connecting block 23, detection tube retainer 24) is typically kept closed by the operating lever 26. In this state, compressed air flowing from the inlet 12 into the housing body 10a in the compressed air circuit passes through the adsorbent material 30 and exits from the outlet 13. As the compressed air passes through the adsorbent material 30, the oil in the compressed air is adsorbed and removed. As a result, clean compressed air, free of oil components, flows out from the outlet 13 back to the compressed air circuit.

[0042] When assessing the oil adsorption performance (oil removal performance) of the adsorbent material 30, the flow path 25a of the holding member 25 (connecting block 23, detection tube holder 24) is opened via the operating lever 26. In this state, compressed air flowing into the housing body 10a from the inlet 12 passes through the adsorbent material 30 and flows out from the outlet 13. Simultaneously, a portion of the compressed air passing through the adsorbent material 30 is introduced into the oil detector 20. Specifically, a portion of the compressed air passing through the adsorbent material 30 is introduced into the conduit 22, and the compressed air introduced into the conduit 22 is introduced into the detection tube 21 held in the holding member 25 (detection tube holder 24) via the flow path 25a of the holding member 25 (connecting block 23, detection tube holder 24). Furthermore, a flow F of compressed air is formed that flows out from the through hole 27d of the detection tube housing 27 (end cap 27) through the detection tube 21 (refer to...). Figure 4 , Figure 5 ).

[0043] In this way, the flow F of compressed air flowing out of the through-hole 27c of the detector tube housing 27 through the detector tube 21 is maintained for a predetermined time (e.g., about 20 minutes to about 40 minutes). Furthermore, in the detector tube 21, a region corresponding to the amount of oil contained in the compressed air passing through the detector tube 21, that is, the amount of oil in the compressed air passing through the adsorbent material 30, changes color. Furthermore, the value of the scale 21a corresponding to the boundary of the different colors produced by the color change of the detector 21 is indicated as representing the amount of oil contained in the compressed air passing through the adsorbent material 30. The user of the separation device 10 can visually confirm the value of the scale 21a corresponding to the boundary of the different colors in the detector tube 21 through the circumferential surface of the cylinder 27b of the detector tube housing 27.

[0044] The user of the separation device 10 can judge the adsorption performance (oil removal performance) of the adsorbent material 30 based on the value of the scale 21a corresponding to the boundary of the different colors in the detection tube 21. When the value is small, that is, when the amount of oil contained in the compressed air passing through the adsorbent material 30 is small, it can be judged that the decrease in the adsorption performance (oil removal performance) of the adsorbent material 30 is small (or, the adsorption performance has not decreased), and the oil has been properly removed by the adsorbent material 30. On the other hand, when the value is large, that is, when the amount of oil contained in the compressed air passing through the adsorbent material 30 is large, it can be judged that the decrease in the adsorption performance (oil removal performance) of the adsorbent material 30 is large, and the oil has not been properly removed by the adsorbent material 30.

[0045] If the value of the scale 21a indicated by the detection tube 21 exceeds the specified value (if the adsorption performance of the adsorption material 30 decreases beyond the limit), the detection tube housing 27 can be removed from the detection tube holder 24 to expose the detection tube 21, and the detection tube 21 held in the detection tube holder 24 can be replaced.

[0046] According to the separation device 10 described above, the adsorption performance (oil removal performance) of the adsorption material 30 (oil removal component) can be determined based on the value of the scale 21a indicated by the detection tube 21, so the adsorption material 30 can be replaced at an appropriate time.

[0047] Furthermore, the tip of the conduit 22 of the oil detector 20 is located between the inlet 12 at the lower end and the outlet 13 at the upper end in the height direction (longitudinal direction) of the housing 11, that is, at a predetermined position in the height direction (longitudinal direction) within the adsorbent material 30 inside the housing 11. Therefore, the adsorption performance can typically be determined based on the amount of oil contained in the compressed air passing through the adsorbent material 30 before the oil has impregnated the upper end of the adsorbent material 30 from the lower end. Thus, the replacement period of the adsorbent material 30 can be determined at a relatively early time.

[0048] Furthermore, the locations of the inlet 12 and outlet 13 are not limited to those described above (see reference). Figure 1 , Figure 3 The outlet 13 can be located higher than the inlet 12 in the height direction of the housing 11. In this case, the front end of the conduit 22 is located between the inlet 12 and the outlet 13 in the height direction of the housing 10.

[0049] Furthermore, the structure of the oil separator 20 is not limited to the above-mentioned contents (see reference). Figures 2-4 The oil detector 20 only needs to consist of at least a conduit 22, a detection tube 21, and a holding member 25. Furthermore, the holding member 25 is not limited to a structure having a connecting block 23 and a detection tube holder 24. It can be any structure that forms a flow path 25a and is fixed to the housing 10 (top cover 10b) in a manner that connects the conduit 22 and the flow path 25a, while detachably holding the detection tube 21 in a manner that allows compressed air flowing from the adsorbent material 30 through the conduit 22 and the flow path 25a to be introduced into the detection tube 21.

[0050] Furthermore, although the adsorbent material 30 is used as an oil removal component, the oil removal component is not limited to this, as long as it can separate and remove the oil contained in the compressed air.

[0051] The above describes embodiments of the present invention, but these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments described above can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0052] (Industry availability)

[0053] The present invention has the advantage of allowing the oil removal component to be replaced at the appropriate time, and can be used as a separation device for separating and removing oil from compressed air.

[0054] (Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram)

[0055] 10: Separation device; 11: Housing; 11a: Housing body; 11b: Top cover;

[0056] 11c: Lower cover; 11d: Foot; 12: Inlet; 13: Outlet;

[0057] 20: Oil separator detector; 21: Detection tube; 21a: Indicator; 22: Guide tube;

[0058] 23: Connecting block; 24: Detector tube holder; 24a: Orifice; 25: Holding component;

[0059] 25b: Flow path; 26: Operating lever; 27: Detection tube housing; 27a: Connecting part;

[0060] 27b: Cylinder body; 27c: End cap; 27d: Through hole; 28: O-ring;

[0061] 30: Adsorption material (oil removal component).

Claims

1. A separation device that is a separation removing device including a housing having a flow inlet and a flow outlet, and an oil removing member housed in the housing and removing oil from passing compressed air, the flow outlet being provided at an upper end portion of the housing, the flow inlet being provided at a lower end portion of the housing, the separation removing device causing compressed air flowing into the housing from the flow inlet to pass through the oil removing member and flow out from the flow outlet, the separation device having: a conduit extending in a height direction of the housing from the flow outlet toward the flow inlet with a front end thereof located in the oil removing member in the housing, and the front end of the conduit being located at a prescribed position between the flow inlet and the flow outlet in the height direction of the housing; a detection tube that is elongated and performs indication corresponding to an amount of oil contained in passing compressed air; and a holding member formed with a flow path and fixed to the housing with the conduit and the flow path communicating, and detachably holding the detection tube in a manner of introducing compressed air flowing in from the oil removing member through the conduit and the flow path to the detection tube, the holding member having a detection tube holder and a valve unit, a portion of the flow path formed at the detection tube holder including a fine path for guiding an appropriate amount of compressed air to the detection tube, the valve unit performing opening and closing of the flow path, the conduit, the holding member, and the detection tube being connected by extending in series in the height direction of the housing.

2. The separation device according to claim 1, wherein the holding member has: a connection block connecting the detection tube holder and the conduit, and a detection tube housing detachably coupled at one end portion to the detection tube holder, and formed at the other end portion with a through hole to cover the detection tube so that a state of the detection tube can be observed from the outside. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 3. The separation device of claim 2, wherein, ​ ​

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