Vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device
By using technical means of gas pre-cooling and thermal energy recycling in the vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device, the problems of low refrigeration efficiency, large power consumption and poor economy in the prior art are solved, and a more efficient and energy-saving gas liquefaction effect is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510151561.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-11
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-25
- Estimated Expiration
- Not applicable · inactive patent
AI Technical Summary
In actual applications, the existing eddy current pipe refrigeration gas liquefaction devices have problems such as low refrigeration efficiency, large power consumption and relatively poor economicality, especially in the face of large-scale, efficient and energy-saving gas liquefaction needs.
A vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device is designed, using technical means of gas pre-cooling and thermal energy recycling. The gas entering the air compressor is pre-cooled through the pre-cooling box to reduce the initial temperature; the gas is separated into hot and cold air flows by using a vortex tube, and the hot air is used to drive the steam engine and the generator to realize the recycling of heat energy.
It effectively reduces the energy consumption of the air compressor, improves working efficiency and stability, and reduces equipment wear; at the same time, through thermal energy recycling, it reduces dependence on external energy and reduces overall operating costs.
Smart Images
Figure CN119879511A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of vortex tube refrigeration, in particular to a vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device. Background Art
[0002] In today's industrial production and energy fields, gas liquefaction technology plays a vital role. With the growing demand for clean energy such as hydrogen and natural gas, as well as the reliance on special gas liquid forms in industrial production, efficient gas liquefaction technology has become a research hotspot. As a device that uses the refrigeration effect of the vortex tube to achieve gas liquefaction, the vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device is used in a certain range due to its relatively simple structure and fast startup speed. It is based on the refrigeration principle of the vortex tube. By separating the compressed gas in the vortex tube, hot and cold air flows are generated, and the cold air flow is used to cool and liquefy the gas.
[0003] The vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device in the prior art is mainly composed of a vortex tube, a gas compression component, a heat exchange component, etc. The gas compression component compresses the gas so that it has the conditions to enter the vortex tube. In the vortex tube, the high-speed rotating airflow is separated into cold and hot airflows due to the centrifugal force and viscous force, and the heat exchange component is used to preheat or precool the gas to improve the overall efficiency. However, these devices have some problems in actual application scenarios. For example, in a natural gas liquefaction plant, due to the large gas processing volume, the traditional device does not effectively precool the gas entering the compressor, resulting in the compressor to overcome the thermal motion of the gas molecules at a higher temperature when compressing the gas, which greatly increases energy consumption, equipment wear, and reduces work efficiency. At the same time, for the hot gas generated by the vortex tube, most devices lack effective utilization, directly discharge and waste a lot of heat energy, increase dependence on external energy, increase overall operating costs, and are difficult to meet the large-scale, efficient, and energy-saving gas liquefaction needs. Therefore, the present invention provides a vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device to solve the shortcomings of the prior art. Summary of the invention
[0004] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device, which solves the problems of low refrigeration efficiency, high power consumption and relatively poor economy of the vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device in the prior art.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions: A vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device, comprising: an energy conversion mechanism, the energy conversion mechanism is used to convert energy for utilization;
[0006] A gas compression mechanism, which is located outside the energy conversion mechanism and is used to compress gas;
[0007] A liquefaction mechanism, which is installed on the top of the energy conversion mechanism and is used to further cool and liquefy the cryogenic gas;
[0008] Two vortex refrigeration mechanisms, which are arranged on the top side of the energy conversion mechanism, and are used to cool the gas. The vortex refrigeration mechanism comprises a connecting block, a vortex tube is installed on one side of the connecting block, and a regulating valve is installed on the other side of the connecting block. A high-pressure airflow inlet is provided at the bottom of the regulating valve, a hot air outlet is provided at one end of the vortex tube, and a cold air outlet is provided at the other end of the vortex tube, and a gas-liquid separation tank is provided at the bottom of the connecting block.
[0009] Preferably, the energy conversion mechanism comprises an energy conversion box, a steam engine and a generator are arranged inside the energy conversion box, a heat energy input port is opened on the outside of the energy conversion box, and the heat energy input port is connected to the input end of the steam engine inside the energy conversion box.
[0010] Preferably, the tops of the two connecting blocks are fixedly connected with a connecting frame, and the bottom of the connecting frame is fixedly connected to the top of the energy conversion box.
[0011] Preferably, a three-way pipe is fixedly connected to the bottom of the two hot gas outlets, one end of the three-way pipe is fixedly connected to a heat energy transport pipe, and one end of the heat energy transport pipe is connected to the heat energy input port.
[0012] Preferably, the liquefaction mechanism includes a refrigeration device, which is installed on the top of the energy conversion box, one end of the refrigeration device is fixedly connected to conduit 2, one end of conduit 2 is connected to one of the cold air outlets, and the other end of the refrigeration device is fixedly connected to a drain pipe.
[0013] Preferably, the gas compression mechanism comprises an air compressor, and the air compressor is located outside the energy conversion box. An electric wire is fixedly connected to the outer side of the air compressor, and one end of the electric wire is connected to the output end of the generator inside the energy conversion box.
[0014] Preferably, one end of the air compressor is fixedly connected to an air inlet pipe, a precooling box is arranged on the outside of the air inlet pipe, the other cold air outlet is fixedly connected to a precooling pipe, one end of the precooling pipe is fixedly connected to the precooling box, one of the high-pressure airflow input ports is fixedly connected to a conduit three, one end of the conduit three is fixedly connected to the outside of the precooling box.
[0015] Preferably, the other end of the air compressor is fixedly connected to an air outlet pipe, one end of the air outlet pipe is fixedly connected to a conduit 1, and one end of the conduit 1 is connected to another high-pressure airflow input port.
[0016] The present invention provides a vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device. It has the following beneficial effects:
[0017] 1. The present invention reduces the initial temperature of the gas entering the air compressor by precooling the gas, reduces the energy required to overcome the molecular thermal motion during the compression process, and thus reduces energy consumption, while improving the working efficiency and stability of the air compressor and reducing equipment wear.
[0018] 2. The present invention utilizes hot gas to power the steam engine, converts thermal energy into mechanical energy to drive the generator to generate electricity, and supplies power to the air compressor, thereby realizing the recycling of thermal energy, effectively recovering the energy that was originally wasted, reducing dependence on external energy, and reducing the operating cost of the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Figure 1 A perspective view of the present invention;
[0020] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the vortex refrigeration mechanism of the present invention;
[0021] Figure 3 A top view of the present invention;
[0022] Figure 4 It is a front view of the present invention.
[0023] Among them, 1. connecting block; 2. vortex tube; 3. hot air outlet; 4. cold air outlet; 5. gas-liquid separation tank; 6. regulating valve; 7. high-pressure air flow input port; 8. connecting frame; 9. energy conversion box; 10. heat energy input port; 11. electric wire; 12. air compressor; 13. air inlet pipe; 14. precooling box; 15. air outlet pipe; 16. precooling pipe; 17. duct one; 18. duct two; 19. refrigeration device; 20. drain pipe; 21. duct three; 22. three-way pipe; 23. heat energy delivery pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] The following will be combined with the drawings in the specification 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] Please see attached Figure 1 -Attached Figure 4The embodiment of the present invention provides a vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device, including an energy conversion mechanism: the core of the mechanism is an energy conversion box 9, which is equipped with a steam engine and a generator. A heat energy input port 10 is provided on the outside of the energy conversion box 9. When external heat energy enters from the heat energy input port 10, the steam engine can convert the heat energy into mechanical energy, and then drive the generator to work, converting the mechanical energy into electrical energy, and providing stable power support for other electrical components in the device, such as the air compressor 12 in the gas compression mechanism, through the wire 11, to achieve efficient conversion and recycling of energy.
[0026] Gas compression mechanism: The gas compression mechanism is mainly composed of an air compressor 12, which is located outside the energy conversion box 9 and is connected to the generator output end inside the energy conversion box 9 through an electric wire 11. The gas to be refrigerated and liquefied is input from the air inlet pipe 13. The air compressor 12 starts working after being powered on, compressing the gas into a high-pressure airflow so that it meets the pressure requirements for entering the vortex tube 2. A precooling box 14 is arranged around the outside of the air inlet pipe 13, and a precooling pipe 16 is fixedly connected to another cold air outlet 4, and one end of the precooling pipe 16 is fixedly connected to the precooling box 14. The cold air discharged from the cold air outlet 4 of the first vortex tube 2 is transported to the precooling box 14 through the precooling pipe 16, and the air inlet pipe 13 is cooled, so that the subsequent input gas is precooled before entering the air compressor 12, which effectively reduces the energy consumption in the compression process, improves the gas compression efficiency, and lays a good foundation for the subsequent refrigeration and liquefaction process.
[0027] Liquefaction mechanism: The liquefaction mechanism is installed on the top of the energy conversion box 9, and is mainly composed of a refrigeration device 19. One end of the refrigeration device 19 is connected to the cold air outlet 4 of one of the vortex tubes 2 through the second conduit 18, and the other end is fixedly connected to the drain pipe 20. The cold air discharged from the cold air outlet 4 enters the refrigeration device 19 through the second conduit 18, where it is deeply cooled to make the gas reach the liquefied condition. The liquefied liquid is finally discharged through the drain pipe 20 and collected, completing the key step of gas liquefaction.
[0028] Vortex refrigeration mechanism: Each vortex refrigeration mechanism includes a connecting block 1, a vortex tube 2 is installed on one side of the connecting block 1, and a regulating valve 6 is installed on the other side. A high-pressure airflow input port 7 is opened at the bottom of the regulating valve 6. The high-pressure airflow output from the air compressor 12 enters the first high-pressure airflow input port 7 through the conduit 17, and enters the vortex tube 2 after the regulating valve 6 accurately controls the flow and pressure. In the vortex tube 2, the gas is separated, one part becomes hot gas and is discharged from the hot gas outlet 3, and the other part becomes cold air and is discharged from the cold air outlet 4. The hot gas outlets 3 of the two vortex tubes 2 are connected to the heat energy input port 10 of the energy conversion box 9 through the three-way pipe 22 and the heat energy transmission pipe 23. The discharged hot gas provides heat energy for the steam engine in the energy conversion box 9, realizes the recycling of heat energy, and reduces dependence on external energy. The tops of the two connecting blocks 1 are fixedly connected by a connecting frame 8, and the bottom of the connecting frame 8 is fixedly connected to the top of the energy conversion box 9, which ensures the stability of the entire vortex refrigeration mechanism and enables it to operate stably. A gas-liquid separation tank 5 is provided at the bottom of the connecting block 1, which can be used to collect liquid mixed in the gas.
[0029] Specifically, when working, the gas to be refrigerated and liquefied is first input from the air inlet pipe 13. The air inlet pipe 13 is the entrance of the gas entering the device and is the starting point of the entire refrigeration and liquefaction process. After the gas to be refrigerated and liquefied enters, it will pass through the air compressor 12. The air compressor 12 is powered on and operates, and the low-pressure gas is compressed into a high-pressure airflow using the principle of mechanical compression. In this process, the pressure of the gas increases significantly, the distance between molecules decreases, the internal energy increases, and the temperature rises. The compressed high-pressure airflow has the pressure conditions required to enter the vortex tube 2, providing a basis for subsequent refrigeration links. The high-pressure airflow passes through the air outlet pipe 15, and then is transported to the first high-pressure airflow input port 7 through the conduit 17, and then smoothly enters the interior of the first vortex tube 2. In the vortex tube 2, according to the refrigeration principle of the vortex tube 2, the high-speed rotating airflow will produce a separation phenomenon. Due to the action of centrifugal force and viscous force, the gas forms an inner and outer layer of airflow in the tube, the temperature of the outer layer of airflow increases, and the temperature of the inner layer of airflow decreases. Cold air is discharged from the cold air outlet 4. This cold air has a low temperature and contains a large amount of cold. The cold air is transported to the precooling box 14 through the precooling pipe 16. The precooling box 14 surrounds the outside of the air inlet pipe 13. The cold air flows in the precooling box 14 and absorbs the heat of the gas in the air inlet pipe 13 by heat transfer, thereby cooling the outside of the air inlet pipe 13. In this way, the gas input later has been precooled before entering the air compressor 12. After the gas is precooled, its initial temperature is reduced. During the compression process of the air compressor 12, the molecular thermal motion energy required to be overcome is reduced, thereby effectively reducing the energy consumption during the compression process. At the same time, the lower intake temperature helps to improve the working efficiency and stability of the air compressor 12, reduce equipment wear, and lay a good foundation for the subsequent refrigeration and liquefaction process. The gas that has been precooled is then transported to the second high-pressure airflow input port 7 through the conduit three 21, and enters the second vortex tube 2 for further cooling. The cold air discharged from the cold air outlet 4 of the second vortex tube 2 will be transported to the refrigeration device 19 by the conduit 2 18. The refrigeration device 19 uses its own refrigeration technology to perform deep cooling treatment on the cold air. In the refrigeration device 19, through a series of heat exchange and refrigeration cycles, the temperature of the cold air is further reduced so that the gas reaches the liquefaction condition. The liquefied liquid is finally discharged and collected through the drain pipe 20, successfully completing the key step of gas liquefaction, realizing the conversion of gaseous substances into liquid substances, which is convenient for storage and transportation. In the whole process, the hot air generated at the two hot air outlets 3 is also fully utilized. The hot air temperature is high and contains a large amount of thermal energy. These hot gases enter the energy conversion box 9 through the three-way pipe 22 and the heat energy delivery pipe 23, providing thermal energy for the steam engine in the energy conversion box 9. After the steam engine absorbs the thermal energy of the hot air, it converts the thermal energy into mechanical energy and drives the generator to work through mechanical transmission. The generator converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy, and then transmits it to the air compressor 12 through the wire 11 to provide energy for the air compressor 12.This heat energy recycling process effectively recovers the hot gas energy that was originally wasted, reduces dependence on external energy, and reduces the operating cost of the entire device.
[0030] Working principle: First, the gas to be refrigerated and liquefied is input from the air inlet pipe 13, and then compressed into a high-pressure airflow by the air compressor 12, and then transported to the first high-pressure airflow input port 7 through the air outlet pipe 15 and the conduit 1 17, and then enters the interior of the first vortex tube 2. The cold air will be discharged from the cold air outlet 4, and transported to the pre-cooling box 14 through the pre-cooling pipe 16, which can cool the outside of the air inlet pipe 13 and pre-cool the subsequent input gas, and then transported to the second high-pressure airflow input port 7 through the conduit 3 21, and then the cold air will be discharged from the conduit 21. The second 18 conveyor belt refrigeration device 19 continues to cool and liquefy, and then is discharged and collected from the discharge pipe 20. At the same time, the hot gas generated at the two hot gas outlets 3 will pass through the three-way pipe 22 and the heat energy transmission pipe 23 into the energy conversion box 9, providing thermal energy to the steam engine in the energy conversion box 9. The mechanical energy of the steam engine is then transmitted to the generator and converted into electrical energy, which is transmitted to the air compressor 12 through the wire 11 to provide energy for the air compressor 12. Compared with the traditional vortex tube 2 refrigeration method, this solution adopts gas pre-cooling and thermal energy utilization to improve the refrigeration efficiency while reducing energy consumption.
[0031] 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 vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device, characterized in that: include: An energy conversion mechanism, wherein the energy conversion mechanism is used to convert energy for utilization; A gas compression mechanism, which is located outside the energy conversion mechanism and is used to compress gas; A liquefaction mechanism, which is installed on the top of the energy conversion mechanism and is used to further cool and liquefy the cryogenic gas; Two vortex refrigeration mechanisms are provided, wherein the vortex refrigeration mechanism is arranged on one side of the top of the energy conversion mechanism, and is used to refrigerate the gas. The vortex refrigeration mechanism comprises a connecting block (1), a vortex tube (2) is installed on one side of the connecting block (1), a regulating valve (6) is installed on the other side of the connecting block (1), a high-pressure air flow input port (7) is provided at the bottom of the regulating valve (6), a hot air outlet (3) is provided at one end of the vortex tube (2), a cold air outlet (4) is provided at the other end of the vortex tube (2), and a gas-liquid separation tank (5) is provided at the bottom of the connecting block (1).
2. A vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The energy conversion mechanism comprises an energy conversion box (9), wherein a steam engine and a generator are arranged inside the energy conversion box (9), and a heat energy input port (10) is opened on the outside of the energy conversion box (9), and the heat energy input port (10) is connected to the input end of the steam engine inside the energy conversion box (9).
3. A vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The tops of the two connection blocks (1) are fixedly connected to a connection frame (8), and the bottom of the connection frame (8) is fixedly connected to the top of the energy conversion box (9).
4. A vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A three-way pipe (22) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the two hot gas outlets (3), one end of the three-way pipe (22) is fixedly connected to a heat energy transport pipe (23), and one end of the heat energy transport pipe (23) is connected to the heat energy input port (10).
5. The vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquefaction mechanism comprises a refrigeration device (19), wherein the refrigeration device (19) is installed on the top of the energy conversion box (9), one end of the refrigeration device (19) is fixedly connected to a second conduit (18), one end of the second conduit (18) is connected to one of the cold air outlets (4), and the other end of the refrigeration device (19) is fixedly connected to a drain pipe (20).
6. The vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas compression mechanism comprises an air compressor (12), wherein the air compressor (12) is located outside the energy conversion box (9), and an electric wire (11) is fixedly connected to the outside of the air compressor (12), and one end of the electric wire (11) is connected to the output end of the generator inside the energy conversion box (9).
7. A vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device according to claim 6, characterized in that: One end of the air compressor (12) is fixedly connected to an air intake pipe (13), a precooling box (14) is arranged outside the air intake pipe (13), another cold air outlet (4) is fixedly connected to a precooling pipe (16), one end of the precooling pipe (16) is fixedly connected to the precooling box (14), one high-pressure airflow input port (7) is fixedly connected to a conduit three (21), one end of the conduit three (21) is fixedly connected to the outside of the precooling box (14).
8. A vortex tube refrigeration gas liquefaction device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The other end of the air compressor (12) is fixedly connected to an air outlet pipe (15), one end of the air outlet pipe (15) is fixedly connected to a conduit 1 (17), and one end of the conduit 1 (17) is connected to another high-pressure airflow input port (7).