A system for treating double-walled pipe air using a ship boiler

Abstract

The present invention proposes a system for treating air in double-walled pipes using a ship boiler. The system comprises: a fuel processing room, a boiler room, a fuel storage tank, a transfer pump, a double-walled pipe, a ship main engine, a double-walled pipe fan, a one-way valve, a variable frequency fan, a boiler, an air inlet, and an air outlet. The present invention delivers air discharged from the double-walled pipe at a certain flow rate into the boiler for combustion and utilization, fully utilizing the kinetic energy of the air flowing out of the double-walled pipe, reducing the power consumption of the variable frequency fan, and saving electricity costs. In addition, when fuel leaks from the inner tube of the double-walled pipe, the present invention can burn and utilize the combustible gas in the double-walled pipe, not only reducing pollution to the atmospheric environment, but also delivering the leaked fuel into the boiler for combustion, converting its chemical energy into directly usable heat energy, thereby avoiding fuel waste.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of ships, and in particular relates to a system for treating air in double-walled pipes by utilizing a ship boiler. Background Art

[0002] With the growing global demand for energy conservation and emission reduction, the International Maritime Organization has implemented strict regulations on smoke emissions from ships. To address this issue, the international shipping industry is looking for clean energy sources (such as LNG, ammonia, and methanol) to replace traditional fuels and reduce environmental pollution. As a result, the number of ships powered by clean energy has been increasing in recent years.

[0003] However, these clean energy sources, such as LNG, ammonia, and methanol, have unique physical and chemical properties, presenting common challenges when used as marine fuels: They are flammable and explosive, ammonia and methanol are toxic, and LNG is a greenhouse gas. Leakage of these clean fuels during the supply process to a ship's main engine in the engine room poses significant safety risks, such as explosions and human poisoning, as well as environmental pollution. Therefore, fuel is typically supplied to the main engine using fuel supply lines, particularly those located below deck in the engine room, using double-walled pipes. Double-walled pipes consist of concentric inner and outer tubes. The inner tube is used to transport the fuel, and a fan is used to supply air to the cavity between the two tubes. Whenever fuel is supplied to the double-walled pipes, a fan is used to draw air into the cavity between the inner and outer tubes. The fuel and air flow in opposite directions, and the air exiting the double-walled pipe is discharged directly into the atmosphere through a vent mast. This prevents fuel from leaking into the enclosed engine room, potentially causing serious accidents such as fires, explosions, and poisoning.

[0004] Currently, most ships typically discharge air flowing out of double-walled pipes directly into the atmosphere. When a fuel leak occurs in the inner tube of a double-walled pipe, the leaked fuel, along with the air, is discharged directly into the atmosphere. While ventilation and dilution can prevent risks such as fire, explosion, and poisoning, the release of leaked fuel and air into the atmosphere still poses certain hazards. For example, LNG is a greenhouse gas, and its greenhouse effect when released into the atmosphere is approximately 20 times that of carbon dioxide. Methanol and ammonia are toxic, and their release into the air can pollute the environment surrounding the ship. Furthermore, the direct release of leaked fuel into the atmosphere along with the air results in fuel waste. In addition, during the navigation of the ship, it is necessary to use a fan to continuously transport air to the cavity between the inner tube and the outer tube of the double-walled pipe. The air in the double-walled pipe is transported in the opposite direction of the fuel supply. Usually, the wind speed at the air inlet of the double-walled pipe is 3 to 25 m / s. Even if affected by the length of the pipe, the resistance along the pipe and the local resistance, the air outlet of the double-walled pipe still has a certain speed. In other words, the air at the air outlet of the double-walled pipe still has a certain kinetic energy. If this part of the air is directly discharged into the atmosphere, a large amount of kinetic energy will be wasted.

[0005] In summary, while the above solution can mitigate the risks of fire, explosion, or poisoning within the cabin, if fuel leaks from the inner tube of the double-walled pipe, the leaked fuel, along with the air, will still pollute the environment. Furthermore, directly discharging the air within the double-walled pipe into the atmosphere also wastes a significant amount of kinetic energy. Therefore, the existing technology suffers from the waste of kinetic energy from the air in the double-walled pipe, as well as the environmental pollution and fuel waste caused by fuel leakage.

[0006] Ships are equipped with boilers, and the steam generated by these boilers is generally used to provide heat for heating equipment. During operation, the boilers require fuel and air to be supplied to the furnace for full combustion. The air is delivered by the boiler fan, which consumes a lot of power due to its constant operation.

[0007] Based on this, if the air in the double-walled tube can be sent into the boiler for combustion and utilization, it will not only be possible to fully utilize the kinetic energy of the air flowing out of the double-walled tube, greatly reducing the power consumption of the boiler fan, but also the combustible gas leaking from the double-walled tube can be burned and utilized, solving potential problems such as environmental pollution and fuel waste caused by fuel leakage. In this way, this technology will have very high practical application value. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention addresses the aforementioned issues by proposing a system for treating air in double-walled pipes using a ship boiler. This system delivers air from the double-walled pipes to the boiler for combustion. This system not only fully utilizes the kinetic energy of the air at the double-walled pipe outlet, significantly reducing the power consumption of the boiler fan, but also prevents environmental pollution caused by fuel leaks. Any leaked fuel can be fully utilized by burning it, avoiding fuel waste.

[0009] The system of the present invention comprises: a fuel processing room, a boiler room, a fuel storage tank, a transfer pump, a double-wall pipe, a ship main engine, a double-wall pipe fan, a one-way valve, a variable frequency fan, a boiler, an air inlet, and an air outlet.

[0010] The boiler room is arranged on the deck at the stern of the ship; the fuel processing room is arranged on the deck at the stern of the ship, adjacent to the boiler room, and the fuel processing room is used to pressurize and heat the ship's fuel so that the pressure and temperature of the fuel meet the gas supply requirements of the ship's main engine; the fuel storage tank is arranged on the deck in front of the ship's poop, and in the present invention, there are two fuel storage tanks in total.

[0011] The transfer pump is placed at the bottom of the fuel storage tank and is connected to the fuel processing room through a pipeline; the fuel processing room is connected to the ship's main engine through a pipeline, wherein the pipeline adopts a double-walled pipe, and the ship's main engine is located in the engine room.

[0012] An air inlet is provided on the double-walled tube near the main engine of the ship, and the air inlet is connected to the double-walled tube fan through a pipeline; an air outlet is provided on the double-walled tube near the fuel room.

[0013] The boiler is placed in the boiler room and is not connected to the ship's engine room. Three pipes are provided on the lower side of the boiler, which respectively pass through fuel, outside air and air discharged from the double-walled pipe. The pipe for outside air is connected to the variable frequency fan, and the pipe for double-walled pipe air is connected to the air outlet of the double-walled pipe. A one-way valve is provided on the pipe.

[0014] The present invention is applied to ships powered by clean fuels such as methanol, LNG or ammonia. During the navigation of the ship, the clean fuel is transferred from the fuel storage tank through a transfer pump and sent to the fuel processing room. In the fuel processing room, the clean fuel is pressurized and heated so that the temperature and pressure of the clean fuel meet the gas supply requirements of the ship's main engine, and finally supplied to the ship's main engine for fuel.

[0015] During navigation, a ship uses a double-walled pipe fan to continuously deliver air to the cavity between the inner and outer tubes of the double-walled pipe. The air in the double-walled pipe flows in the opposite direction of the fuel supply. Once the air reaches the outlet, it passes through a one-way valve and is directly fed into the boiler, where it is burned along with the fuel. Although affected by factors such as pipe length, longitudinal resistance, and local resistance, the air at the outlet of the double-walled pipe maintains a certain velocity, meaning that the air at the outlet has a certain amount of kinetic energy.

[0016] When the air discharged from the double-walled tube can meet the air demand of boiler combustion, the variable frequency fan outside the boiler runs at the lowest speed or stops running.

[0017] When the air discharged from the double-walled pipe cannot meet the air demand for boiler combustion, the variable-frequency fan outside the boiler will change its speed according to the air delivery volume of the double-walled pipe, thereby adjusting the air delivery volume of the variable-frequency fan. When the air delivery volume of the double-walled pipe is small, the variable-frequency fan runs at a higher speed, thereby increasing the air delivery volume of the variable-frequency fan. The air delivered by the variable-frequency fan is then sent into the boiler for combustion together with the air discharged from the double-walled pipe. When the air delivery volume of the double-walled pipe is large, the variable-frequency fan runs at a lower speed, appropriately reducing the air delivery volume. The present invention adjusts the air delivery volume by using the variable-frequency fan so that the total air delivery volume entering the boiler can meet the air supply requirements for boiler combustion. When fuel leaks from the inner tube of the double-walled pipe, the leaked fuel can be sent into the boiler for combustion along with the air discharged from the double-walled pipe, avoiding the environmental pollution caused by the traditional method of directly discharging the air and fuel mixture in the double-walled pipe into the atmosphere, and also avoiding the waste of leaked fuel.

[0018] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0019] 1. The present invention sends the air discharged from the double-walled tube with a certain flow rate into the boiler for combustion, which fully utilizes the kinetic energy of the air flowing out of the double-walled tube, reduces the power consumption of the variable frequency fan, and saves electricity costs.

[0020] 2. When fuel leaks from the inner tube of the double-walled tube, the system can burn and utilize the combustible gas in the double-walled tube, which not only reduces pollution to the atmospheric environment, but also sends the leaked fuel into the boiler for combustion, converting its chemical energy into directly usable heat energy, thus avoiding fuel waste. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a system diagram of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the locations of the fuel processing room and boiler room on a ship in the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the position of the fuel storage tank on the ship in the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 It is a position diagram of the double-walled pipe in the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the boiler and fuel room from the stern to the bow;

[0026] In the attached figure: 1. Fuel processing room; 2. Boiler room; 3. Fuel storage tank; 4. Transfer pump; 5. Double-wall pipe; 6. Ship's main engine; 7. Double-wall pipe fan; 8. One-way valve; 9. Variable frequency fan; 10. Boiler; 11. Air inlet; 12. Air outlet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the system of the present invention includes: a fuel processing room 1, a boiler room 2, a fuel storage tank 3, a transfer pump 4, a double-walled pipe 5, a ship main engine 6, a double-walled pipe fan 7, a one-way valve 8, a variable frequency fan 9, a boiler 10, an air inlet 11, and an air outlet 12.

[0029] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the boiler room 2 is arranged on the deck at the stern of the ship and is not connected to the ship's engine room; the fuel processing room 1 is arranged on the deck at the stern of the ship, adjacent to the boiler room 2, and the fuel processing room 1 is used to pressurize and heat the ship's fuel so that the pressure and temperature of the fuel meet the gas supply requirements of the ship's main engine 6; the fuel storage tank 3 is arranged on the deck in front of the ship's poop, and in the present invention, there are two fuel storage tanks 3.

[0030] The transfer pump 4 is placed at the bottom of the fuel storage tank 3, and the transfer pump 4 is connected to the fuel processing room 1 through a pipeline; the fuel processing room 1 is connected to the ship's main engine 6 through a pipeline, wherein the pipeline adopts a double-walled pipe 5, and the ship's main engine 6 is located in the engine room. Figure 4 shown.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the double-walled tube 5 is provided with an air inlet 11 at a position close to the ship's main engine 6, and the air inlet 11 is connected to the double-walled tube fan 7 through a pipeline; the double-walled tube 5 is provided with an air outlet 12 at a position close to the fuel room, and the air outlet 12 is connected to the boiler 10 through a pipeline, and a one-way valve 8 is provided on the pipeline.

[0032] Three pipes are provided on the lower side of the boiler 10, through which fuel, outside air and air discharged from the double-walled pipe 5 are respectively passed. The pipe for outside air is connected to the variable frequency fan 9, and the pipe for air passing through the double-walled pipe 5 is connected to the air outlet 12 of the double-walled pipe 5. A one-way valve 8 is provided on the pipe. The function of the one-way valve 8 is to prevent the reverse flow of air. Since the pressure in the furnace of the boiler 10 is higher than the pressure of the air in the double-walled pipe 5, if there is no one-way valve 8, the fuel and air in the furnace will flow in the reverse direction to the double-walled pipe 5.

[0033] like Figure 5 As shown, the boiler 10 is placed in the boiler room 2 and is not connected to the engine room. The purpose is to prevent the air flowing out of the air outlet 12 leading to the boiler 10 from leaking in the boiler room 2 and flowing into the engine room again, which will cause safety hazards.

[0034] The present invention is applied to ships powered by clean fuels such as methanol, LNG or ammonia. During the navigation of the ship, the clean fuel is transferred from the fuel storage tank 3 through the transfer pump 4 and sent to the fuel processing room 1. The clean fuel is pressurized and heated in the fuel processing room 1 so that the temperature and pressure of the clean fuel meet the gas supply requirements of the ship's main engine 6, and is finally supplied to the ship's main engine 6 for combustion.

[0035] During navigation, the vessel must utilize a double-walled pipe blower 7 to continuously deliver air to the cavity between the inner and outer tubes of the double-walled pipe 5. The air within the double-walled pipe 5 flows in the opposite direction of the fuel supply. When the air within the double-walled pipe 5 reaches the air outlet 12, it is then passed through a one-way valve 8 and directly fed into the boiler 10, where it is burned along with the fuel. Although affected by factors such as pipe length, along-the-line resistance, and local resistance, the air at the air outlet 12 of the double-walled pipe 5 still maintains a certain velocity. In other words, the air at the air outlet 12 of the double-walled pipe 5 possesses a certain kinetic energy. The present invention delivers the air from the double-walled pipe 5, which has a certain velocity, into the boiler 10 for combustion, thereby fully utilizing the kinetic energy of the air flowing out of the double-walled pipe 5.

[0036] The air sources required for combustion in the boiler 10 are as follows:

[0037] The first case: when the air discharged from the double-walled tube 5 can meet the air demand of the boiler 10 for combustion, the variable frequency fan 9 outside the boiler 10 runs at the lowest speed or stops running.

[0038] The second scenario: When the air discharged from the double-walled pipe 5 cannot meet the air demand for combustion in the boiler 10, the variable frequency fan 9 outside the boiler 10 will change its speed based on the air delivery capacity of the double-walled pipe 5, thereby increasing or decreasing the air delivery capacity. When the air discharged from the double-walled pipe 5 cannot meet the air demand for combustion in the boiler 10, there are two operating conditions: Operating Condition 1: When the air delivery capacity of the double-walled pipe 5 is small, the air delivery capacity of the variable frequency fan 9 is appropriately increased. In other words, the variable frequency fan 9 increases its speed, thereby increasing the air delivery capacity. The air delivered by the variable frequency fan 9 is then sent together with the air discharged from the double-walled pipe 5 into the boiler 10 for combustion. Operating Condition 2: When the air delivery capacity of the double-walled pipe 5 is large, but the air discharged from the double-walled pipe 5 still cannot meet the air demand for combustion in the boiler 10, the air delivery capacity of the variable frequency fan 9 is appropriately reduced. In other words, the variable frequency fan 9 operates at a lower speed, thereby reducing the air delivery capacity. The present invention adjusts the air delivery rate through the variable frequency fan 9, so that the total air delivery rate entering the boiler 10 (i.e., the sum of the air delivery rate of the variable frequency fan 9 and the air delivery rate of the double-walled pipe 5) can meet the air supply requirement of the boiler 10 combustion.

[0039] When fuel leakage occurs in the inner tube of the double-walled tube 5, the leaked fuel can be sent into the boiler 10 for combustion along with the air in the double-walled tube 5. This not only prevents the leaked fuel from being directly discharged into the atmosphere with the air, causing fuel waste, but also solves the environmental pollution problem caused by fuel leakage into the air.

[0040] In the present invention, the air source for the boiler 10 consists of two parts: one part is the air exhausted from the double-walled tubes 5, and the other is supplied by the variable frequency fan 9. When the air required by the boiler 10 is entirely sourced from the air exhausted from the double-walled tubes 5, the variable frequency fan 9 operates at the lowest speed or stops operating. At this time, the power consumption of the variable frequency fan 9 is minimized, and the resulting electricity cost is extremely low. When the air required by the boiler 10 is sourced from a combination of the air delivered by the variable frequency fan 9 and the air exhausted from the double-walled tubes 5, the variable frequency fan 9 can change its speed based on the amount of air delivered by the double-walled tubes 5, thereby adjusting the air delivery of the variable frequency fan 9. Compared to traditional boilers where air is delivered entirely by the fan, the present invention reduces the power consumption of the variable frequency fan 9 and saves electricity costs.

[0041] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but it is not limited to the above embodiments when it is implemented. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for treating air in double-walled tubes using a ship boiler, characterized by: The system comprises a fuel processing room (1), a boiler room (2), a fuel storage tank (3), a transfer pump (4), a double-walled pipe (5), a ship main engine (6), a double-walled pipe fan (7), a one-way valve (8), a variable frequency fan (9), a boiler (10), an air inlet (11), and an air outlet (12); The boiler room (2) is arranged on the deck at the rear of the ship; the boiler (10) is placed in the boiler room (2) and is not communicated with the engine room; the fuel processing room (1) is arranged on the deck at the rear of the ship and is adjacent to the boiler room (2); the fuel processing room (1) is connected to the ship's main engine (6) through a pipeline, wherein the pipeline adopts a double-walled pipe (5), and the ship's main engine is located in the engine room; An air inlet (11) is provided on the double-walled pipe (5) at a position close to the ship's main engine (6), and the air inlet (11) is connected to the double-walled pipe fan (7) through a pipeline; an air outlet (12) is provided on the double-walled pipe (5) at a position close to the fuel processing room (1), and the air outlet (12) is connected to the boiler (10) through a pipeline, and a one-way valve (8) is provided on the pipeline.

2. The system for treating air in double-walled tubes using a ship boiler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower side of the boiler (10) is provided with three pipes, which respectively pass fuel, outside air and air discharged from the double-walled pipe (5), wherein the pipe for passing outside air is connected to the variable frequency fan (9), and the pipe for passing air from the double-walled pipe (5) is connected to the air outlet (12) of the double-walled pipe (5).

3. The system for treating air in double-walled tubes using a ship boiler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The variable frequency fan (9) changes its rotation speed according to the air delivery volume of the double-walled pipe (5), thereby adjusting the air delivery volume of the variable frequency fan (9).

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