Fluid mechanical system

Abstract

A fluid machine system having a plurality of compressor bodies that compress a fluid, and a power source that operates the compressor bodies, the box-type fluid machine including: a circulation passage (150) that connects a discharge port (109a) of a first box-type fluid machine (1a) with a discharge port (109b) of a second box-type fluid machine (1b); and a flow path switching device (160) located on a path of the circulation passage, that allows and restricts the flow of exhaust air discharged to the outside of the circulation passage, so that at least a portion of the exhaust air discharged from the discharge port of the first box-type fluid machine flows into the second box-type fluid machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to fluid machinery systems. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a compressor structure that discharges wastewater generated when compressed gas is cooled to the outside of the machine without freezing. Patent Document 1 states: "One end of the bypass circuit is connected to the primary side of the aftercooler, and the other end is connected to the wastewater circuit at the lower end of the wastewater collection section connected to the wastewater separator. The wastewater in the collection section is discharged into the wastewater circuit together with a portion of the compressed gas in the wastewater separator as a mixed fluid. After passing through the throttling section, it merges with the hot compressed gas introduced through the bypass circuit. Therefore, the compressed gas in the mixed fluid does not experience a sharp drop in pressure due to subsequent atmospheric discharge. As a result, exhaust noise is reduced and freezing of the wastewater is prevented."

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-176784 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical issues to be solved by the invention

[0007] As described in Patent Document 1, the internal structures of fluid machinery, such as compressors, contain areas that cannot tolerate freezing. The ambient temperature is a crucial factor in the installation environment of fluid machinery. For example, if the ambient temperature falls below freezing, there are concerns about freezing and viscosity increase of circulating water and lubricating oil, as well as freezing of electronic equipment. When installed in low-temperature environments, efficient protection against freezing and other hazards is required.

[0008] Solutions for solving technical problems

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present application discloses a plurality of technologies for solving the above-mentioned problems. As an example, a fluid machinery system is provided, which has a plurality of box-type (package type) fluid machinery, the box-type fluid machinery having a compressor body for compressing fluid, and a power source for operating the compressor body. The fluid machinery system includes: a circulation passage, which connects the exhaust port of a first box-type fluid machinery with the exhaust port of a second box-type fluid machinery; and a flow path switching device, which is located on the path of the circulation passage, allowing and restricting the flow of exhaust air discharged to the outside of the circulation passage, so that at least a portion of the exhaust air discharged from the exhaust port of the first box-type fluid machinery flows into the second box-type fluid machinery.

[0010] Technical Effects

[0011] According to the present invention, in a fluid machine system installed in a location with low outside temperature, such as an environment below freezing, the heat of the fluid machine that discharges relatively high exhaust air can be used to prevent freezing of other fluid machines that are stopped or have a low load.

[0012] Other problems, structures, and effects than those described above will become clear from the following description of the embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a box-type compressor system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 Yes Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a situation in which exhaust air from one box-type compressor flows into another box-type compressor in a box-type compressor system.

[0015] Figure 3 Yes Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a situation in which the exhaust air of one box-type compressor and the exhaust air of another box-type compressor in a box-type compressor system are discharged to the outside of an external duct. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] exist Figure 1 The schematic structure of the compressor system of this embodiment is shown in FIG. The compressor system includes a plurality of first box-type compressors 1a and second box-type compressors 1b, and the cooling air flowing through these compressors is connected via an external duct 150. The structure is described below. In this embodiment, the first box-type compressors 1a and the second box-type compressors 1b are identical, so the description focuses primarily on the first box-type compressor 1a.

[0018] In the first box-type compressor 1a, structural components such as the driving source 101a, the speed increaser 102a, the first-stage compressor body 103a, and the second-stage compressor body 104a are mounted on a common base (not shown), and there is a cover 105a on the side (four sides in this embodiment) and the top surface to cover these structural parts as a whole.

[0019] The drive source 101a is an electric motor. The drive source 101a provides rotational force as driving force to the primary compressor body 103a and the secondary compressor body 104a via a speed increaser 102a. While an electric motor is used as the drive source in this embodiment, other drive sources such as internal combustion engines or those utilizing natural energy sources such as wind or water power can also be used. While this description describes a case where the drive source 101a includes a self-excited fan for introducing air from outside the housing 105a into the housing, a configuration using a separately excited fan for introducing external air is also possible.

[0020] The speed increaser 102a is composed of, for example, a combination of a pinion gear and a bull gear, and is mechanically connected to the primary compressor body 103a, the secondary compressor body 104a, and the drive source 101a. The speed increaser 102a transmits the rotational force from the drive source 101a to the primary compressor body 103a and the secondary compressor body 104a, and changes the speed ratio between the primary compressor body 103a and the secondary compressor body 104a. The speed increaser 102a is not limited to this and may also be a power transmission mechanism utilizing a chain, belt, pulley, or the like. Furthermore, while this embodiment includes a structure including the speed increaser 102a, a structure in which the compressor body and the drive source are directly connected without utilizing the aforementioned speed increaser can also be employed.

[0021] The primary compressor body 103a and the secondary compressor body 104a each comprise, for example, a positive displacement compression mechanism, forming a two-stage compressor. Various positive displacement compressor types, such as screw, scroll, reciprocating, and claw, can be employed. This embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, this embodiment can also be applied to a multi-stage structure having a compressor body in addition to the primary compressor body 103a and the secondary compressor body 104a. Alternatively, a structure in which the primary compressor body 103a and the secondary compressor body 104a function as a single-stage compressor body is also possible.

[0022] The cover 105a has an air inlet 107a and an air outlet 109a on the side or top surface that are connected to the outside. The air inlet 107a is connected to an internal air intake duct 106a that introduces external air from the opposite side of the output side of the drive source 101a, i.e., the motor, to the inside of the cover 105a. The rotation of the self-excited fan of the drive source 101a introduces external air into the interior of the first box-type compressor 1a. Of the external air introduced from the air inlet 107a, a portion is used as cooling air for components such as the drive source 101a, the speed increaser 102a, the first compressor body 103a, and the second compressor body 104a, and a portion is sucked into the first compressor body 103a. In addition, when there is an air-cooled heat exchanger for cooling the compressed gas, the external air can also be used for this heat exchange.

[0023] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the air inlet 107a is located downstream of the drive source 101a, and the air outlet 109a is located on the compressor bodies (103a and 104a). Specifically, due to the heat of compression, the primary and secondary compressor bodies 103a and 104a tend to generate higher temperatures than the heat generated by the drive source 101a. Therefore, the components are cooled with external air in ascending order of relative temperature.

[0024] The exhaust port 109a is connected to the internal exhaust duct 108a extending into the interior of the cover 105a, and the external air introduced into the interior of the box-type compressor 1a (excluding the external air sucked into the compressor body) is discharged to the outside of the box-type compressor 1a (external duct 150 described later).

[0025] The control unit 110a is a device that performs various controls on the first box-type compressor 1a, for example, a control device implemented by the cooperation of a computing device and a program (it may also be a partially or entirely analog structure). The power conversion device 111a changes the on / off (ON / OFF) and power frequency of the power supplied to the drive source 101a, i.e., the electric motor, according to the instructions of the control unit 110a, thereby causing the first box-type compressor 1a to operate at a variable speed. Variable speed operation includes, for example, P control operation, PI control operation, or PID control operation, load / no-load operation, etc. In addition, the control unit 110a may also be configured as an external control device connected via a wired or wireless communication line.

[0026] Next, the external duct 150 and the flow switching device 160 will be described. The external duct 150 has a function as a circulation passage connecting the exhaust port 109a of the first box-type compressor 1a with the exhaust port 109b of the second box-type compressor 1b. The flow switching device 160 is located in the middle of the flow path of the external duct 150, and is a flow switching mechanism that allows or restricts the exhaust air flowing in the external duct 150 to be discharged to the outside of the external duct 150. In this embodiment, a rotating plate that can be reversed by rotation is used, but the present invention is not limited to this structure. The external duct 150 can switch its rotation manually or automatically, and its rotation angle (that is, the opening degree of the exhaust air flowing in the external duct to be discharged to the outside of the external duct) can also be switched in multiple stages.

[0027] exist Figure 2An overview of the working method of this embodiment is shown in the figure. First, when the first box-type compressor 1a is in operation (for example, in full-speed operation), the high-temperature exhaust air (cooling air) after cooling the internal heat element is discharged from the exhaust port 109a to the external duct 150. At this time, when the second box-type compressor 1b is stopped or in no-load operation, if the external air temperature is below the specified temperature, the temperature of the components such as the drive source 101b of the second box-type compressor 1b, i.e., the electric motor, the first-stage compressor body 103b, and the second-stage compressor body 104b, is relatively low. This low-temperature state poses a risk of freezing the components of the second box-type compressor 1b, increasing the viscosity of the lubricating fluid (oil or water), and causing a load or failure during startup or switching to load operation.

[0028] Therefore, one of the characteristics of this embodiment is that the exhaust air of the first box-type compressor 1a, which generates relatively high heat due to operation, is flowed into the second box-type compressor 1b, which generates relatively low heat, through the external duct 150 for heating, thereby suppressing freezing or increased viscosity of the lubricating fluid that may become an obstacle when the second box-type compressor 1b is started and switched to load operation.

[0029] More specifically, by making the flow path switching device 160 "closed (prohibiting or restricting discharge from the external duct to the outside)", part or all of the high-temperature exhaust air from the first box-type compressor 1a flows from the exhaust port 109b of the second box-type compressor 1b to the second box-type compressor 1b, heating the components of the second box-type compressor 1b.

[0030] Next, a description will be given of a case where the second box-type compressor 1 b is also started or shifted to load operation.

[0031] Figure 3 This diagram shows the flow of cooling air when flow switching device 160 is set to "open (fully open)." In this case, high-temperature cooling air flowing out of exhaust port 109a of first box-type compressor 1a and exhaust port 109b of second box-type compressor 1b is discharged to the outside of external duct 150 in the directions indicated by the arrows by flow switching device 160, and a normal cooling effect can be expected.

[0032] Thus, according to this embodiment, the second box-type compressor 1b, which is stopped or under low load, can be simply heated using the high-temperature exhaust air from the other first box-type compressor 1a, which generates relatively more heat. This allows for simplified equipment maintenance and prevents performance degradation according to the outside temperature. In particular, for box-type compressors that require heating, exhaust heat can be utilized without requiring a special heating mechanism or energy, thus contributing to energy savings.

[0033] While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the various configurations described above and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the number of box-type compressors is not limited to two; it can also be composed of three or more units, and the types and rated specifications of the compressor bodies used in each box-type compressor can also differ. For example, if the rated specification of one compressor is larger than that of the other, the opening of the flow path switching device 160 can be appropriately adjusted to prevent excessive heating.

[0034] In addition, in the case of a system that generates compressed gas by so-called multi-unit control in which multiple box-type compressors converge with multiple discharge piping systems, the opening of the flow path switching device 160 can be automatically adjusted according to the switching between the operation and stop of each box-type compressor.

[0035] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the compressor main body that generates compressed gas from atmospheric air (air) has been described, but a fluid machine that compresses other gases may also be used.

[0036] Description of Reference Numerals

[0037] 1a...first box-type compressor, 1b...second box-type compressor, 101a...driving source of the first box-type compressor, 101b...driving source of the second box-type compressor, 102a...speed-increasing gear of the first box-type compressor, 102b...speed-increasing gear of the second box-type compressor, 103a...first-stage compressor body of the first box-type compressor, 103b...first-stage compressor body of the second box-type compressor, 104a...second-stage compressor body of the first box-type compressor, 104b...second-stage compressor body of the second box-type compressor, 105a...cover of the first box-type compressor, 105b...cover of the second box-type compressor, 106a...internal air intake duct of the first box-type compressor , 106b…the internal air intake duct of the second box-type compressor, 107a…the air intake port of the first box-type compressor, 107b…the air intake port of the second box-type compressor, 108a…the internal exhaust duct of the first box-type compressor, 108b…the internal exhaust duct of the second box-type compressor, 109a…the exhaust port of the first box-type compressor, 109b…the exhaust port of the second box-type compressor, 110a…the control unit of the first box-type compressor, 110b…the control unit of the second box-type compressor, 111a…the power conversion device of the first box-type compressor, 111b…the power conversion device of the second box-type compressor, 150…the external duct, 160…the flow path switching device.

Claims

1. A fluid machinery system comprising a plurality of box-type fluid machinery, each of the box-type fluid machinery including a compressor body for compressing a fluid and a power source for operating the compressor body, wherein: The fluid machinery system comprises: a circulation passage connecting an exhaust port of the first box-type fluid machine and an exhaust port of the second box-type fluid machine; and A flow path switching device is located on the path of the circulation path and allows and restricts the flow of exhaust air discharged to the outside of the circulation path. When the first box-type fluid machine is operating and the second box-type fluid machine is stopped or operating without load, the flow path switching device can switch so that at least a portion of the exhaust air discharged from the exhaust port of the first box-type fluid machine flows into the second box-type fluid machine.

2. The fluid machinery system according to claim 1, wherein: The flow path switching device can be switched so as to prohibit or restrict the flow of exhaust air discharged from the external duct.

3. The fluid machinery system according to claim 1, wherein: When the second box-type fluid machine switches from stop to operation or switches from no-load operation to loaded operation, the flow path switching device allows the exhaust air to flow to the outside of the circulation path.

4. The fluid machinery system according to claim 1, wherein: The rated specifications of at least one of the box-type fluid machines are different from those of the other box-type fluid machines.

5. The fluid machinery system according to claim 1, wherein: The box-type fluid machine is a box-type compressor that generates compressed gas from the atmosphere.

Images