Heating circulation system using hot compressed air as heat transfer medium

Abstract

The invention provides a heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium. The heating circulation system is formed by connecting a compressed air system, an air inlet pipeline, a box body air sleeve, an air return pipeline and a pressure balance tank. The compressed air system is composed of an air compressor, an oil radiator, an air filter and an electric control module, the oil radiator is communicated with an air inlet pipeline, the air inlet pipeline is communicated with a box body air sleeve, a box body is arranged in the box body air sleeve, and a space in a sterilizer box body of the box body is used for placing an object to be sterilized; the air return pipeline is communicated with the air return end of the box body air sleeve and communicated with the pressure balance tank. The circulating system is heated by hot compressed air generated by the air compressor, so that the ethylene oxide sterilizer can be sterilized and heated, a large amount of water can be saved, electricity for heating the water is saved, the sterilizing and heating process is shortened, and the heating efficiency is improved, so that the air sleeve and the pipeline can be made of common steel, and the cost is reduced. Manufacturing cost is greatly reduced, and service life of equipment is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of heating systems, and in particular relates to a heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium. Background Art

[0002] Ethylene oxide sterilizer is a device that uses a certain concentration of ethylene oxide gas to perform low-temperature fumigation sterilization on items sealed in the sterilization chamber under certain temperature, pressure and humidity conditions. The hot water heating circulation device is an important component of the ethylene oxide sterilizer. The sterilization chamber of the ethylene oxide sterilizer is a hexahedral sealed container composed of a rectangular box body welded from a steel plate and a door body at both ends. In order to ensure the temperature required for ethylene oxide sterilization, the six sides of the sterilization chamber are required to be heated, and the general heating medium is circulating hot water. The outer sides of the four sides of the box body and the outer sides of the door panel are appropriately spaced with grooved water jackets welded to the box body to form a closed circulating water channel. The hot water transfers heat to the box body and the door panel through the water jacket combination, and the box body and the door panel then heat the air and sterilized items in the box body to and maintain them in the set temperature range by thermal radiation, and sterilization work is carried out within this temperature range. For this reason, a general sterilizer needs to have a set of hot water circulation devices to ensure the heat supply of the sterilizer box body.

[0003] The hot water circulation device of the ethylene oxide sterilizer in the prior art is basically an open circulation device using a water tank equipped with an electric heating tube. The hot water heated in the water tank is pressurized by a water pump and then enters the water jacket of the sterilizer box and door through the corresponding parallel or series pipelines to heat the box, and then enters the return water pipeline and returns to the water tank.

[0004] The main problem of the hot water circulation device with water tank in the prior art is that it consumes a lot of energy to heat water. The heat energy required for hot water heating accounts for about 30% of the total energy consumption, and the heating speed is slow. In order to prevent rust, the water tank and water transmission device need to be made of expensive stainless steel, which has high manufacturing costs. After welding, cracks may be caused by potential factors such as thermal stress and intergranular corrosion, which may cause water leakage, affect the environment, and make maintenance difficult.

[0005] Based on this, a heating circulation system using hot compressed air as heat transfer medium is proposed. Summary of the invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium in view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, so as to solve the problems raised in the above-mentioned background technology.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium, the system is composed of a compressed air system, an air intake pipeline, a box air jacket, a return air pipeline and a pressure balance tank connected to each other;

[0008] The compressed air system is composed of an air compressor, an oil radiator, an air filter and an electrical control module. One side of the air compressor is connected to the oil radiator, the other side of the air compressor is connected to the air filter, and the electrical control module is connected to the air compressor by signal.

[0009] The oil radiator is connected to the air intake pipeline, the air intake pipeline is connected to the box air jacket, a box is arranged inside the box air jacket, and the space inside the sterilizer box of the box is used to place the objects to be sterilized;

[0010] The return air pipeline is connected to the return air end of the air jacket of the box body, the return air pipeline is connected to the pressure balance tank, and the pressure balance tank is connected to the air filter.

[0011] As a further explanation of the present invention, a first manual gate valve, a pressure reducing valve and a pressure gauge are provided on the air intake pipeline, and the branch pipelines connected to the air intake pipeline are respectively communicated with the box body in the box body air jacket.

[0012] As a further explanation of the present invention, the box body air jacket includes a first door body air jacket and a second door body air jacket, and the first door body air jacket and the second door body air jacket are respectively arranged on both sides of the box body.

[0013] As a further illustration of the present invention, one end of the return air pipeline is connected to a plurality of return air branch pipes, and the return air branch pipes are matched with the branch pipelines.

[0014] As a further illustration of the present invention, a second manual gate valve and an oil-water separator are also provided on the air return pipeline.

[0015] As a further illustration of the present invention, a third manual gate valve and a fourth manual gate valve are provided on the pressure balance tank.

[0016] As a further explanation of the present invention, a first temperature sensor is arranged on the outside of the box, and a first pressure sensor and a second temperature sensor are arranged on the branch pipe.

[0017] As a further illustration of the present invention, a second pressure sensor and a first temperature sensor are provided on the connecting pipeline between the pressure balance tank and the air filter.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0019] The present invention can achieve sterilization heating of the ethylene oxide sterilizer through the hot compressed air heating circulation system generated by the air compressor, which can save a large amount of water and electricity for water heating. Since the air has a small heat capacity and a fast heat transfer speed, the sterilization heating process is shortened and the heating efficiency is improved. Since hot air is used as the medium for heat transfer, the air jacket will not rust, so the material of the air jacket and the pipeline can be made of general steel, which greatly reduces the manufacturing cost and increases the life of the equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a side view of the air sleeve structure of the box body of the present invention.

[0022] Description of reference numerals:

[0023] 1-air compressor mechanism; 11-air compressor; 12-oil radiator; 13-air filter; 14-electrical control module; 2-intake pipeline; 21-first manual gate valve; 22-pressure reducing valve; 23-pressure gauge; 24-branch pipeline; 3-box air jacket; 31-first door air jacket; 32-second door air jacket; 4-space inside the sterilizer box; 5-objects to be sterilized; 6-box; 7-return air pipeline; 71-return air branch pipe; 72-second manual gate valve; 73-oil-water separator; 8-pressure balance tank; 81-third manual gate valve; 82fourth manual gate valve; 91-first temperature sensor; 92-first pressure sensor; 93-second temperature sensor; 94-second pressure sensor; 95-third temperature sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides a technical solution: a heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium, the system is composed of a compressed air system 1, an air intake pipeline 2, a box air jacket 3, a return air pipeline 7 and a pressure balance tank 8 connected to each other;

[0026] The compressed air system 1 is composed of an air compressor 11, an oil radiator 12, an air filter 13 and an electrical control module 14. One side of the air compressor 11 is connected to the oil radiator 12, and the other side of the air compressor 11 is connected to the air filter 13. The electrical control module 14 is connected to the air compressor 11 by signal. The electrical control module 14 controls the operation of the air filter 13 and the air compressor 11, and about 60% of the energy consumed by the air compressor 11 is converted into heat energy and stored in the compressed air.

[0027] The oil radiator 12 is connected to the air intake pipeline 2, and the air intake pipeline 2 is provided with a first manual gate valve 21, a pressure reducing valve 22 and a pressure gauge 23. The branch pipelines 24 connected to the air intake pipeline 2 are respectively connected to the box 6 in the box air jacket 3.

[0028] The air inlet pipeline 2 is communicated with the box air jacket 3, a box 6 is arranged inside the box air jacket 3, the sterilizer box internal space 4 of the box 6 is used to place the to-be-sterilized object 5, the box air jacket 3 includes a first door air jacket 31 and a second door air jacket 32, the first door air jacket 31 and the second door air jacket 32 ​​are respectively arranged on both sides of the box 6, and the hot air transmits heat to the box 6 and the to-be-sterilized object 5 placed in the sterilizer box internal space 4 through the first door air jacket 31 and the second door air jacket 32, so that the temperature of the sterilized object reaches the sterilization temperature requirement;

[0029] The return air pipeline 7 is connected to the return air end of the box air jacket 3 , and one end of the return air pipeline 7 is connected to a plurality of return air branch pipes 71 , and the return air branch pipes 71 are matched with the branch pipes 24 .

[0030] The return air pipeline 7 is also provided with a second manual gate valve 72 and an oil-water separator 73 . The oil-water separator 73 separates the oil and water in the air from the air to ensure that the air entering the air compressor 11 again is relatively clean, thereby avoiding damage to the air compressor 11 .

[0031] Since the oil-water separator 73 has poor high temperature resistance, it is installed on the return air pipeline 7 with a lower temperature instead of being installed on the intake air pipeline in the conventional way.

[0032] The return air pipeline 7 is connected to the pressure balance tank 8, which is an empty small air tank. The pressure balance tank 8 is connected to the air filter 13. A third manual gate valve 81 and a fourth manual gate valve 82 are provided on the pressure balance tank 8. The pressure balance tank 8 is connected to the atmosphere through the third manual gate valve 81, and the accumulated oil and water can be discharged out of the pressure balance tank 8 through the fourth manual gate valve 82.

[0033] The box body 6 is provided with a first temperature sensor 91 , and the branch pipe 24 is provided with a first pressure sensor 92 and a second temperature sensor 93 .

[0034] A second pressure sensor 94 and a third temperature sensor 95 are provided on the communication line between the pressure balance tank 8 and the air filter 13 .

[0035] During specific use, the air filter 13 in the air compressor mechanism 11 is connected to the atmosphere and the return air pipeline 7 through the pressure balance tank 8. After the air compressor 11 is started, air is inhaled from the pressure balance tank 8. The air enters the air compressor 11 through the air filter 13 and is pressurized to form compressed air, which is output through the exhaust port. After passing through the first manual gate valve 21, the pressure reducing valve 22, and the pressure gauge 23 of the air intake pipeline 2, it enters the box air jacket 3, the first door air jacket 31 and the second door air jacket 32 ​​through multiple branch pipelines 24. After passing through the box air jacket 3, the hot air heats the box 6 and the door panel, and transfers the heat to the object to be sterilized 5 in the box 6, so that the temperature of the object to be sterilized is raised to the required process temperature.

[0036] The compressed air passing through the box air jacket 3 is then collected into the return air pipeline 7 through multiple return air branch pipes 71 at the other end of the box air jacket 3, and then enters the pressure balance tank 8 after passing through the second manual gate valve 72 and the oil-water separator 73. The pressure balance tank 8 is connected to the atmosphere through the third manual gate valve 81. After the return air pressure of the pressure balance tank 8 is reduced, it enters the air filter 13 in the air compressor mechanism 1, and then enters the air compressor 11 again to be compressed, realizing the hot compressed air heating cycle.

[0037] The working process of the hot compressed air heating circulation system is as follows:

[0038] The air intake end of the air compressor 11 is connected to the air filter 13 and the pressure balance tank 8, and the pressure balance tank is connected to the atmosphere through the third manual gate valve 81. The air in the return air pipeline 7 is connected to the atmosphere through the pressure balance tank 8. When the sterilizer starts to heat, the air temperature and pressure on the loop are the same as those of the atmosphere. When the air compressor 11 starts to work, the air compressor 11 inhales a large amount of air, and the air inhaled only from the return air pipe is not enough, so the air inhaled from the atmosphere will be supplemented through the pressure balance tank 8. The air passing through the air filter 13 is compressed by the air compressor 11 and the temperature and pressure are increased. The high-temperature, low-pressure, and large-flow compressed air generated is reduced to the pressure required by the air jacket after passing through the pressure reducing valve 22. When the hot compressed air passes through the box air jacket 3 and the first door air jacket 31 and the second door air jacket 32, the heat is transferred to the box 6, so that the temperature of the sterilized object in the box 6 is increased. The temperature and pressure of the hot compressed air that undergoes heat exchange through the box air jacket 3 are reduced, and the reduction is more obvious in the initial stage. The compressed air after cooling and pressure reduction is collected into the return air pipeline 7 through the return air branch pipe 71, and then the oil and water in the compressed air are separated by the oil-water separator 73 installed on the return air pipeline 7, so that the air returning to the air intake of the air compressor meets the requirements.

[0039] Generally, the oil-water separator 73 is installed on the air intake pipeline, so that the air equipment can be used to avoid damage to the equipment caused by oil and water. Since this system uses high-temperature compressed air, the oil and water precipitated at high temperature are very small, and will not cause damage to the air jacket, but oil and water will precipitate on the low-temperature return air pipeline. At the same time, since the oil-water separator cannot be used in a high-temperature environment above 80°C, the oil-water separator 73 is installed on the return air pipeline 7.

[0040] The first manual gate valve 21 is installed on the air inlet pipeline 2, and the second manual gate valve 72 is installed on the air return pipeline 7, which is mainly used to adjust the air flow of the pipeline or close the pipeline when necessary. The returned low-pressure and low-temperature compressed air passes through the pressure balance tank 8 and then through the air filter 13 to enter the air compressor and enter the next compression cycle.

[0041] Since the pressure balance tank 8 is connected to the atmosphere through the third manual gate valve 81, if the compressed air pressure returned to the pressure balance tank is high, the pressure will drop to atmospheric pressure or close to atmospheric pressure after passing through the pressure balance tank 8, and the pressure of the air will be released into the atmosphere. In the initial stage of starting the air compressor 11, the pressure of the return air pipeline is not high, and the air intake volume of the air compressor 11 is large, and a negative pressure state lower than the atmospheric pressure may be formed on the return air pipeline 7. At this time, the air compressor 11 needs to inhale air from the atmosphere through the pressure balance tank, so that the pressure balance tank 8 plays a role in ensuring that the pressure of the intake air remains basically balanced with the atmospheric pressure during the entire operation process. Since the temperature of the hot air will drop after reaching the pressure balance tank 8, oil and water will still be precipitated. The fourth manual gate valve 82 installed below the balance tank can be used to discharge the precipitated oil and water.

[0042] After the air compressor 11 is started, it enters the heating cycle process. The above cycle process runs continuously, the output temperature of the air compressor 11 gradually rises, and the temperature of the compressed air passing through the pressure balance tank 8 also rises. As the input air temperature rises, the temperature of the output compressed air also rises, and gradually the temperature of the box body reaches the required temperature. At this time, the first temperature sensor 91 installed in the box body 6 transmits a signal to the electrical control module 14 to suspend the operation of the air compressor 11, stop heating or reduce the speed of the air compressor 11, so that the heat supply of the air is reduced, so that the heating process ends and enters the insulation process.

[0043] During the heat preservation process, the heat in the box 6 is gradually absorbed by the sterilized object 5. After the temperature of the box 6 drops to the lower limit of the controlled temperature, the first temperature sensor 91 sends a signal to the electrical control module 14 to restart the air compressor 11 or increase the operating speed. The heat output by the air compressor 11 increases, and the temperature of the box 6 rises back to the required temperature. Such repeated multiple cycle controls ensure that the temperature in the box 6 is maintained within the required range. The hot compressed air heating cycle process is realized through such control.

[0044] The first pressure sensor 92 and the second temperature sensor 93 in the system are provided as safety control devices. When the pressure or temperature in the air jacket exceeds the prescribed requirements for any reason, the first pressure sensor 92 and the second temperature sensor 93 will send a signal to the electrical control module 14 to stop the air compressor 11 to ensure the safety of the system. The second pressure sensor 94 and the third temperature sensor 95 installed on the return air pipe behind the pressure balance tank 8 are used to monitor the temperature and pressure of the input air so as to understand the state of the input air and adjust the control requirements of the heating system in time.

[0045] Compared with the existing hot water circulation heating system heated by electric heaters for 20 cubic meters of ethylene oxide sterilizer, this embodiment has the following effects under the condition of the same electric power:

[0046] 1) Save more than 20% of electricity consumption and reduce heating time by more than 25%;

[0047] 2) Using carbon steel to make the air jacket instead of stainless steel to make the water jacket for water circulation can save more than 50% of the cost of the air jacket material;

[0048] 3) The air sleeve avoids the problem of cracks and water leakage that pollutes the working environment;

[0049] 4) Reduce maintenance and repair difficulties during use and increase equipment life.

[0050] In addition to being used as a heating system in ethylene oxide sterilizers in the medical device industry, the hot compressed air heating circulation system in this embodiment can also be used in heating circulation systems of other equipment and facilities, thereby achieving the effects of energy saving, time saving, production and use cost saving, and simple maintenance.

[0051] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device.

[0052] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium, characterized in that: The system is composed of a compressed air system (1), an air intake pipeline (2), a box air jacket (3), an air return pipeline (7) and a pressure balance tank (8) which are connected to each other; The compressed air system (1) is composed of an air compressor (11), an oil radiator (12), an air filter (13) and an electrical control module (14); one side of the air compressor (11) is connected to the oil radiator (12); the other side of the air compressor (11) is connected to the air filter (13); and the electrical control module (14) is signal-connected to the air compressor (11); The oil radiator (12) is in communication with an air intake pipeline (2), the air intake pipeline (2) is in communication with a box air jacket (3), a box (6) is arranged inside the box air jacket (3), and a sterilizer box space (4) of the box (6) is used to place objects to be sterilized (5); The return air pipeline (7) is connected to the return air end of the box air jacket (3), the return air pipeline (7) is connected to the pressure balance tank (8), and the pressure balance tank (8) is connected to the air filter (13).

2. A heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air intake pipeline (2) is provided with a first manual gate valve (21), a pressure reducing valve (22) and a pressure gauge (23), and the branch pipelines (24) connected to the air intake pipeline (2) are respectively communicated with the box (6) in the box air jacket (3).

3. A heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box body air jacket (3) is in communication with a first door body air jacket (31) and a second door body air jacket (32), and the first door body air jacket (31) and the second door body air jacket (32) are respectively arranged on both sides of the box body (6).

4. A heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium according to claim 2, characterized in that: One end of the return air pipeline (7) is connected to a plurality of return air branch pipes (71), and the return air branch pipes (71) are matched with the branch pipes (24).

5. A heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium according to claim 4, characterized in that: The air return pipeline (7) is also provided with a second manual gate valve (72) and an oil-water separator (73).

6. A heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure balance tank (8) is provided with a third manual gate valve (81) and a fourth manual gate valve (82).

7. A heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium according to claim 2, characterized in that: The box (6) is provided with a first temperature sensor (91), and the branch pipeline (24) is provided with a first pressure sensor (92) and a second temperature sensor (93).

8. A heating circulation system using hot compressed air as a heat transfer medium according to claim 1, characterized in that: A second pressure sensor (94) and a third temperature sensor (95) are provided on the communication pipeline between the pressure balance tank (8) and the air filter (13).

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