Gas liquefaction device and gas liquefaction system

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of liquefying devices, and provides a gas liquefying device and a gas liquefying system.The gas liquefying device comprises a sound wave generator for outputting sound waves; the first end of the resonance tube is connected with the sound wave generator, and the resonance tube is provided with a liquid outlet and a gas inlet; the plate stack assembly is arranged in the resonance tube, and the gas inlet and the hot end heat exchanger are located on the side, close to the sound wave generator, of the plate stack assembly; the hot end heat exchanger is used for transferring heat at the hot end of the plate stack assembly to an external medium; the first control valve is arranged at the gas inlet, and the opening and closing states of the first control valve are controllable; and the second control valve is arranged at the liquid outlet, and the opening and closing states of the second control valve are controllable. Therefore, the to-be-liquefied gas is used as a working medium for thermo-acoustic refrigeration to realize thermo-acoustic refrigeration, the to-be-liquefied gas is in direct contact with the plate stack assembly for heat exchange when being liquefied, intermediate heat exchange links are reduced, the heat exchange efficiency is improved, the temperature difference requirement is reduced, the irreversible loss of heat exchange is reduced, and the liquefaction efficiency of the to-be-liquefied gas is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of liquefaction devices, and in particular to a gas liquefaction device and a gas liquefaction system. Background Art

[0002] Some gases, such as nitrogen and natural gas, need to be stored and transported in liquid form. Taking natural gas as an example, when converting it into liquefied natural gas, a refrigerator is required to cool the natural gas to or below its dew point, thereby converting it into liquefied natural gas.

[0003] In related technologies, a thermoacoustic engine is used to drive a pulse tube refrigerator, allowing the natural gas to be liquefied to pass through the cold-end heat exchanger of the pulse tube refrigerator. The natural gas to be liquefied exchanges heat with the working fluid of the pulse tube refrigerator to reduce the temperature of the natural gas to be liquefied, thereby liquefying the natural gas to be liquefied. When cooling the natural gas to be liquefied, the working fluid of the pulse tube refrigerator and the natural gas to be liquefied are mainly exchanged in the cold-end heat exchanger. This requires the working fluid of the pulse tube refrigerator to exchange heat with the channel wall of the cold-end heat exchanger, and the channel wall of the cold-end heat exchanger to exchange heat with the natural gas to be liquefied. This involves many intermediate heat exchange links, resulting in low heat exchange efficiency. In addition, there is a large temperature difference between the working fluid of the pulse tube refrigerator and the natural gas to be liquefied, resulting in large irreversible losses in heat exchange, which seriously limits the liquefaction efficiency of the natural gas to be liquefied.

[0004] Therefore, how to solve the problem of low gas liquefaction efficiency in related technologies has become an important technical problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a gas liquefaction device and a gas liquefaction system, which are used to solve the defect of low gas liquefaction efficiency in the related art.

[0006] The present invention provides a gas liquefaction device, comprising: a sound wave generator adapted to output sound waves; A resonance tube, wherein a first end of the resonance tube is connected to the sound wave generator, a second end of the resonance tube is provided with a liquid outlet, and a side wall of the resonance tube is provided with a gas inlet suitable for supplying liquefied gas from a gas source into the resonance tube; a plate stack assembly disposed inside the resonance tube, wherein the gas inlet is located on a side of the plate stack assembly close to the acoustic wave generator; a hot end heat exchanger disposed inside the resonance tube, the hot end heat exchanger being disposed on a side of the plate stack assembly close to the acoustic wave generator, the hot end heat exchanger being adapted to transfer heat from the hot end of the plate stack assembly to an external medium; A first control valve is arranged at the gas inlet, and the opening and closing state of the first control valve is controllable; A second control valve is arranged at the liquid outlet, and the opening and closing state of the second control valve is controllable.

[0007] With such an arrangement, the gas to be liquefied serves as the working medium for thermoacoustic refrigeration to achieve thermoacoustic refrigeration. When the gas to be liquefied is liquefied, the gas to be liquefied is in direct contact with the plate stack assembly for heat exchange, effectively reducing the intermediate heat exchange link, improving the heat exchange efficiency, reducing the temperature difference requirement, significantly reducing the irreversible loss of heat exchange, being beneficial to improving the liquefaction efficiency of the gas to be liquefied, and solving the problem of low liquefaction efficiency of gas in the related art.

[0008] In addition, compared with the scheme of using a pulse tube refrigerator to refrigerate and liquefy the gas to be liquefied in the prior art, the gas liquefaction device provided by the present invention also avoids the setting of a cold end heat exchanger and has the advantage of simple structure.

[0009] According to a gas liquefaction device provided by the present invention, the plate stack assembly includes: At least two plate stacks, each of the plate stacks is distributed along the axis direction of the resonance tube, each of the plate stacks has a plurality of flow channels distributed at intervals, and among any two adjacent plate stacks, the cross-sectional area of the flow channel of the one closer to the hot end heat exchanger is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the flow channel of the one farther from the hot end heat exchanger.

[0010] With such an arrangement, setting the cross-section of the flow channel of the plate stack farther from the hot end heat exchanger to be relatively larger can ensure that the liquid can flow smoothly to the second end of the resonance tube and avoid the problem of gas-liquid blockage caused by liquid droplet aggregation. Setting the plate stack assembly in a structural form of at least two plate stacks separated from each other is more convenient for processing the internal flow channels.

[0011] According to a gas liquefaction device provided by the present invention, the plate stack assembly includes three plate stacks, which are respectively a first plate stack, a second plate stack and a third plate stack. The first plate stack, the second plate stack and the third plate stack are distributed in sequence along the direction away from the hot end heat exchanger. The flow channel in the first plate stack is a first flow channel, the flow channel in the second plate stack is a second flow channel, and the flow channel in the third plate stack is a third flow channel; The cross-sectional area of the second flow channel is 1.5 to 3 times that of the first flow channel, and the cross-sectional area of the third flow channel is 3 to 10 times that of the first flow channel.

[0012] In this arrangement, the first plate stack is used to establish an initial temperature gradient, the second plate stack is used to maintain the temperature gradient, and the third plate stack is located at the coldest end of the plate stack assembly, which significantly increases the cross-sectional area of the third flow channel, thereby preventing condensed liquid droplets from clogging the third flow channel and promoting the smooth falling of liquid products under the action of gravity.

[0013] According to a gas liquefaction device provided by the present invention, the plate stack assembly comprises: The fourth plate stack has a plurality of spaced-apart fourth circulation channels, wherein an end of the fourth circulation channel close to the hot end heat exchanger is a first end of the fourth circulation channel, and an end of the fourth circulation channel away from the hot end heat exchanger is a second end of the fourth circulation channel, and a cross-sectional area of the first end of the fourth circulation channel is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the second end of the fourth circulation channel.

[0014] Such an arrangement can ensure that the liquid can flow smoothly to the second end of the resonance tube, avoiding the problem of gas-liquid blockage caused by the aggregation of liquid droplets.

[0015] According to a gas liquefaction device provided by the present invention, the first control valve has an air inlet and an air outlet, and the first control valve is adapted to switch to an on state when the pressure at the air outlet is lower than the pressure at the air inlet, and to switch to a off state when the pressure at the air outlet is higher than the pressure at the air inlet; The second control valve has a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet. The second control valve is adapted to switch to an on state when the pressure at its liquid inlet is greater than the pressure at its liquid outlet, and to switch to a off state when the pressure at its liquid inlet is less than the pressure at its liquid outlet.

[0016] With such an arrangement, as the gas liquefaction device operates, the gas to be liquefied can be intermittently replenished into the resonance tube, and the liquid formed by the liquefaction of the gas to be liquefied can be discharged to the outside.

[0017] According to a gas liquefaction device provided by the present invention, the first control valve and the second control valve are both one-way valves.

[0018] With this arrangement, the one-way valve can automatically switch between on and off states based on the pressure at its inlet and outlet, thereby achieving one-way flow of the gas to be liquefied and the liquid formed by its liquefaction, without the need for additional control.

[0019] According to a gas liquefaction device provided by the present invention, the axis of the resonance tube is arranged in the vertical direction, the second end of the resonance tube is the bottom end of the resonance tube, and the liquid outlet is arranged on the end surface of the second end of the resonance tube.

[0020] With this arrangement, the liquid formed by the liquefaction of the liquefied gas gathers at the bottom end of the resonance tube. Setting the liquid outlet at the bottom end face of the resonance tube can reduce the difficulty of liquid discharge, so that the liquid collected at the second end of the resonance tube can be discharged smoothly to avoid liquid residue.

[0021] According to a gas liquefaction device provided by the present invention, the hot end heat exchanger has a medium channel for the external medium to flow through, and the gas liquefaction device further includes: A cooling assembly, connected to the medium channel, and the cooling assembly is adapted to refrigerate the external medium.

[0022] With such a setting, the external medium absorbs heat in the hot end heat exchanger to transfer heat outward. By controlling the operation of the cooling assembly, the external medium can be refrigerated, so as to control the temperature of the external medium, and further the temperature of the hot end of the plate stack assembly can be controlled.

[0023] The present invention also provides a gas liquefaction system, including the above-mentioned gas liquefaction device.

[0024] With such a setting, the gas to be liquefied is used as the working medium for thermoacoustic refrigeration to achieve thermoacoustic refrigeration. When the gas to be liquefied is liquefied, the gas to be liquefied is in direct contact with the plate stack assembly for heat exchange, effectively reducing the intermediate heat exchange link, improving the heat exchange efficiency, reducing the temperature difference requirement, significantly reducing the irreversible loss of heat exchange, being beneficial to improving the liquefaction efficiency of the gas to be liquefied, and solving the problem of low liquefaction efficiency of the gas in the related art.

[0025] In addition, compared with the solution of using a pulse tube refrigerator to refrigerate and liquefy the gas to be liquefied in the prior art, the gas liquefaction system provided by the present invention also avoids the setting of a cold end heat exchanger and has the advantage of simple structure.

[0026] According to a gas liquefaction system provided by the present invention, it further includes: A gas storage tank, adapted to accommodate the gas to be liquefied, the gas storage tank is connected to the gas inlet of the gas liquefaction device, and the first control valve of the gas liquefaction device is located between the gas storage tank and the gas inlet; A liquid storage tank, adapted to collect the liquid formed by liquefying the gas to be liquefied, the liquid storage tank is connected to the liquid outlet of the gas liquefaction device, and the second control valve of the gas liquefaction device is located between the liquid storage tank and the liquid outlet.

[0027] With such a setting, the gas to be liquefied in the gas storage tank intermittently enters the resonance tube of the gas liquefaction device, condenses and liquefies on the wall surface of the flow channel of the plate stack assembly of the gas liquefaction device, and the formed liquid converges to the bottom of the resonance tube and is intermittently discharged into the liquid storage tank.

[0028] The gas liquefaction device provided by the present invention includes an acoustic wave generator, a resonance tube, a plate stack assembly, a hot end heat exchanger, a first control valve, and a second control valve. The acoustic wave generator is used to output acoustic waves. The first end of the resonance tube is connected to the acoustic wave generator. The plate stack assembly and the hot end heat exchanger are arranged inside the resonance tube. The hot end heat exchanger is arranged on the side of the plate stack assembly close to the acoustic wave generator. The hot end heat exchanger is used to transfer the heat of the hot end of the plate stack assembly to the external medium to maintain the temperature stability of the hot end of the plate stack assembly. A gas inlet is arranged on the side wall of the resonance tube, and the gas inlet is located on the side of the plate stack assembly close to the acoustic wave generator. The gas inlet is used for the gas to be liquefied from the gas source to enter the resonance tube. The first control valve is arranged at the gas inlet, and the opening and closing state of the first control valve is controllable to control the flow of the gas to be liquefied from the gas source into the resonance tube. After the gas to be liquefied from the gas source enters the resonance tube, the gas to be liquefied serves as the working medium for thermoacoustic refrigeration. When the acoustic wave generator operates, the generated acoustic waves cause periodic compression and expansion of the gas in the plate stack assembly. Due to the thermoacoustic effect, these periodic processes cause heat to be transferred along the direction of acoustic wave propagation, thereby establishing a temperature gradient on the plate stack assembly. The heat at the end of the plate stack assembly far from the acoustic wave generator is transferred to the end of the plate stack assembly close to the acoustic wave generator, and finally an obvious temperature difference is formed at both ends of the plate stack assembly. The end of the plate stack assembly close to the acoustic wave generator is the hot end, and the end of the plate stack assembly far from the acoustic wave generator is the cold end. When the temperature of the cold end of the plate stack assembly is lower than the dew point temperature of the gas to be liquefied in the resonance tube, the gas to be liquefied around the cold end of the plate stack assembly will be liquefied. The liquid formed by the liquefaction of the gas to be liquefied will drip and gather at the second end of the resonance tube. A liquid outlet is arranged at the second end of the resonance tube for discharging the liquid. The second control valve is arranged at the liquid outlet, and the opening and closing state of the second control valve is controllable to control the flow of the liquid to the outside of the resonance tube. With such a setting, when the gas to be liquefied is liquefied, the gas to be liquefied directly contacts and exchanges heat with the plate stack assembly, effectively reducing the intermediate heat exchange link, improving the heat exchange efficiency, reducing the temperature difference requirement, significantly reducing the irreversible loss of heat exchange, being beneficial to improving the liquefaction efficiency of the gas to be liquefied, and solving the problem of low liquefaction efficiency of the gas in the related art.

[0029] In addition, compared with the prior art solution of using a pulse tube refrigerator to cool and liquefy the gas to be liquefied, the gas liquefaction device provided by the present invention also avoids the setting of a cold end heat exchanger and has the advantage of simple structure.

[0030] Furthermore, in the gas liquefaction system provided by the present invention, due to having the gas liquefaction device as described above, it also has various advantages as described above. Description of the Drawings

[0031] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the gas liquefaction device provided by the present invention (the acoustic wave generator and the cooling assembly are not shown).

[0033] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the gas liquefaction system provided by the present invention (the cooling assembly is not shown).

[0034] Reference numerals: 1. Acoustic wave generator; 2. Resonant tube; 3. Liquid outlet; 4. Gas inlet; 5. Hot end heat exchanger; 6. First control valve; 7. Second control valve; 8. First plate stack; 9. Second plate stack; 10. Third plate stack; 11. Gas storage tank; 12. Liquid storage tank. Detailed implementation manners

[0035] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the present invention in conjunction with the drawings in the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present invention, rather than all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] The following will describe Figures 1 to 2 the gas liquefaction device of the present invention.

[0037] As Figures 1 to 2 shown, the gas liquefaction device provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes an acoustic wave generator 1, a resonant tube 2, a plate stack assembly, a hot end heat exchanger 5, a first control valve 6, and a second control valve 7.

[0038] Specifically, the acoustic wave generator 1 is used to output acoustic waves to excite thermoacoustic oscillations in the resonant tube 2 and the plate stack assembly. The acoustic wave generator 1 only needs to be able to generate acoustic waves in the resonant tube 2. For the specific structural form of the acoustic wave generator 1, no specific limitation is made here. The acoustic wave generator 1 can be, but is not limited to, a piston structure driven by a linear motor.

[0039] The first end of the resonance tube 2 is connected to the acoustic wave generator 1. The stack assembly and the hot-end heat exchanger 5 are arranged inside the resonance tube 2. The hot-end heat exchanger 5 is arranged on the side of the stack assembly close to the acoustic wave generator 1. The hot-end heat exchanger 5 is used to transfer the heat of the hot end of the stack assembly to the external medium to maintain the temperature stability of the hot end of the stack assembly.

[0040] A gas inlet 4 is arranged on the side wall of the resonance tube 2. The gas inlet 4 is located on the side of the stack assembly close to the acoustic wave generator 1. The gas inlet 4 is used for the gas to be liquefied from the gas source to enter the resonance tube 2. A first control valve 6 is arranged at the gas inlet 4. The opening and closing state of the first control valve 6 is controllable to control the flow of the gas to be liquefied from the gas source into the resonance tube 2.

[0041] After the gas to be liquefied from the gas source enters the resonance tube 2, the gas to be liquefied serves as the working medium for thermoacoustic refrigeration. When the acoustic wave generator 1 operates, the generated acoustic waves cause periodic compression and expansion of the gas in the stack assembly. Due to the thermoacoustic effect, these periodic processes cause heat to be transferred along the direction of acoustic wave propagation, thereby establishing a temperature gradient on the stack assembly. The heat at the end of the stack assembly far from the acoustic wave generator 1 is transferred to the end of the stack assembly close to the acoustic wave generator 1. Eventually, an obvious temperature difference is formed at both ends of the stack assembly. The end of the stack assembly close to the acoustic wave generator 1 is the hot end, and the end of the stack assembly far from the acoustic wave generator 1 is the cold end.

[0042] When the temperature of the cold end of the stack assembly is lower than the dew point temperature of the gas to be liquefied in the resonance tube 2, the gas to be liquefied around the cold end of the stack assembly will be liquefied. The liquid formed by the liquefaction of the gas to be liquefied will drip and gather at the second end of the resonance tube 2.

[0043] A liquid outlet 3 is arranged at the second end of the resonance tube 2 for discharging the liquid. A second control valve 7 is arranged at the liquid outlet 3. The opening and closing state of the second control valve 7 is controllable to control the flow of the liquid to the outside of the resonance tube 2.

[0044] With such an arrangement, when the gas to be liquefied is liquefied, the gas to be liquefied directly contacts and exchanges heat with the stack assembly, effectively reducing the intermediate heat exchange link, shortening the cold quantity transfer path, improving the heat exchange efficiency, reducing the temperature difference requirement, reducing the irreversible loss of heat exchange from the source, being beneficial to improving the liquefaction efficiency of the gas to be liquefied, and solving the problem of low liquefaction efficiency of gas in the related technology.

[0045] In addition, the gas liquefaction device provided by the embodiments of the present invention does not require a traditional compressor and has no moving parts, reducing vibration and noise. Compared with the solution of using a pulse tube refrigerator to cool and liquefy the gas to be liquefied in the prior art, the gas liquefaction device provided by the embodiments of the present invention also avoids the setting of a cold-end heat exchanger, has the advantage of simple structure, reduces the manufacturing cost and maintenance difficulty of the gas liquefaction device, and provides a feasible path for the miniaturization and engineering of cryogenic refrigeration equipment.

[0046] It should be noted that by controlling the heat transfer situation of the hot-end heat exchanger 5 to the outside, the temperature of the hot end of the plate stack assembly can be controlled. Then, by controlling parameters such as the frequency, pressure, velocity amplitude, and phase difference between pressure and velocity of the sound field, the temperature of the cold end of the plate stack assembly can be controlled. Specifically, when the gas to be liquefied in the gas source is natural gas, the temperature of the cold end of the plate stack assembly can be made lower than the dew point temperature of natural gas; when the gas to be liquefied in the gas source is nitrogen, the temperature of the cold end of the plate stack assembly can be made lower than the dew point temperature of nitrogen, and it can be specifically controlled according to the composition of the gas to be liquefied in the gas source.

[0047] In the embodiments of the present invention, the hot-end heat exchanger 5 has a medium channel for the outside medium to flow through. The gas liquefaction device further includes a cooling assembly connected to the medium channel. The cooling assembly is used to cool the outside medium, and the outside medium absorbs heat in the hot-end heat exchanger 5 to transfer heat to the outside.

[0048] By controlling the operation of the cooling assembly, the outside medium can be cooled, thereby controlling the temperature of the outside medium, and further the temperature of the hot end of the plate stack assembly can be controlled.

[0049] Specifically, the above cooling assembly can be but is not limited to a thermoacoustic refrigerator.

[0050] In some embodiments of the invention, the plate stack assembly includes only one plate stack; in other embodiments, the plate stack assembly includes at least two plate stacks, and the plate stacks are sequentially distributed along the axis of the resonance tube 2.

[0051] When the plate stack assembly includes at least two plate stacks, the plate stacks are distributed along the axis of the resonance tube 2. Each plate stack has a plurality of spaced-apart flow channels, and the gas to be liquefied is located in the flow channels. The gas to be liquefied around the position where the temperature of the plate stack is lower than the dew point temperature of the gas to be liquefied is liquefied, and the liquefied liquid adheres to the wall surface of the flow channel.

[0052] Among any two adjacent plate stacks, the cross-sectional area of the flow channel of the one closer to the hot-end heat exchanger 5 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the flow channel of the one farther from the hot-end heat exchanger 5.

[0053] In each plate stack, the farther away from the hot-end heat exchanger 5, the lower its temperature, and the more liquid adheres to the wall surface of its flow channel. Moreover, the liquid adhering to the wall surface of the flow channel will flow in the direction away from the hot-end heat exchanger 5, which will further increase the liquid volume in the flow channels of the plate stacks farther away from the hot-end heat exchanger 5. In this embodiment, the cross-section of the flow channels of the plate stacks farther away from the hot-end heat exchanger 5 is set relatively large, which can ensure that the liquid can flow smoothly to the second end of the resonance tube 2 and avoid the problem of gas-liquid blockage caused by liquid droplet aggregation.

[0054] The plate stack assembly is set in a structural form in which at least two plate stacks are separately arranged, which is more convenient for processing the flow channels inside.

[0055] In a specific embodiment, the plate stack assembly includes three plate stacks. Refer to Figure 1 , the three plate stacks are the first plate stack 8, the second plate stack 9, and the third plate stack 10 respectively, and the first plate stack 8, the second plate stack 9, and the third plate stack 10 are arranged in sequence in the direction away from the hot-end heat exchanger 5.

[0056] The flow channel in the first plate stack 8 is the first flow channel, the flow channel in the second plate stack 9 is the second flow channel, and the flow channel in the third plate stack 10 is the third flow channel.

[0057] The first plate stack 8 is used to establish an initial temperature gradient.

[0058] The cross-sectional area of the second flow channel is 1.5 to 3 times that of the first flow channel, which is used to maintain the temperature gradient. Specifically, the cross-sectional area of the second flow channel can be set to 2 times that of the first flow channel.

[0059] The cross-sectional area of the third flow channel is 3 to 10 times that of the first flow channel. The third plate stack 10 is located at the coldest end of the plate stack assembly. Significantly increasing the cross-sectional area of the third flow channel can avoid the blockage of the third flow channel by condensate droplets and promote the smooth fall of the liquid product under the action of gravity.

[0060] Specifically, the cross-section of the flow channel can be set as a rectangle. The length dimensions of the first flow channel, the second flow channel, and the third flow channel are the same. The width of the first flow channel is set to 0.1 to 0.3 mm, the width of the second flow channel is set to 0.2 to 0.6 mm, and the width of the third flow channel is set to 0.3 to 3.0 mm.

[0061] When the stack assembly includes only one stack, the stack assembly includes a fourth stack, and the fourth stack has a plurality of fourth flow channels distributed at intervals. One end of the fourth flow channel close to the hot-end heat exchanger 5 is the first end of the fourth flow channel, and the end of the fourth flow channel far from the hot-end heat exchanger 5 is the second end of the fourth flow channel. The cross-sectional area of the first end of the fourth flow channel is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the second end of the fourth flow channel.

[0062] With such a setting, it is also possible to ensure that the liquid can flow smoothly to the second end of the resonance tube 2, avoiding the problem of gas-liquid blockage caused by droplet aggregation.

[0063] Specifically, the cross-sectional area of the fourth flow channel can be set in a form that gradually increases in the direction from its first end to the second end. The cross-section of the fourth flow channel can be circular. At this time, the fourth flow channel is integrally in the shape of a frustum of a cone.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present invention, the first control valve 6 has an air inlet and an air outlet. When the pressure at the air outlet of the first control valve 6 is less than the pressure at the air inlet, the first control valve 6 switches to the conducting state; when the pressure at the air outlet of the first control valve 6 is greater than the pressure at the air inlet, the first control valve 6 switches to the cut-off state.

[0065] The second control valve 7 has a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet. When the pressure at the liquid inlet of the second control valve 7 is greater than the pressure at the liquid outlet, the second control valve 7 switches to the conducting state; when the pressure at the liquid inlet of the second control valve 7 is less than the pressure at the liquid outlet, the second control valve 7 switches to the cut-off state.

[0066] When sound waves propagate in the resonance tube 2, they will cause pressure fluctuations of the gas to be liquefied. The pressure conditions at different positions in the resonance tube 2 are different, but the pressure fluctuations at each position in the resonance tube 2 have wave peaks and wave valleys.

[0067] When the pressure at the gas inlet 4 is at or near the trough value, the pressure at the air outlet of the first control valve 6 decreases to be less than the pressure at the air inlet of the first control valve 6. At this time, the first control valve 6 conducts, and the gas to be liquefied from the gas source will flow to the resonance tube 2. When the pressure at the gas inlet 4 is at or near the peak value, the pressure at the air outlet of the first control valve 6 increases to be greater than the pressure at the air inlet of the first control valve 6. At this time, the first control valve 6 cuts off, the gas to be liquefied from the gas source will not flow to the resonance tube 2, and the gas in the resonance tube 2 will not flow to the gas source either.

[0068] Similarly, when the pressure at the position of the liquid outlet 3 is at or near the trough value, the pressure at the liquid inlet of the second control valve 7 decreases to be less than the pressure at the liquid outlet of the second control valve 7. At this time, the second control valve 7 is cut off, and the liquid at the second end of the resonance tube 2 will not be discharged outward. When the pressure at the position of the liquid outlet 3 is at or near the peak value, the pressure at the liquid inlet of the second control valve 7 increases to be greater than the pressure at the liquid outlet of the second control valve 7. At this time, the second control valve 7 is turned on, and the liquid at the second end of the resonance tube 2 can be discharged outward.

[0069] With the operation of the gas liquefaction device, the gas to be liquefied can be intermittently supplemented into the resonance tube 2, and the liquid formed by the liquefaction of the gas to be liquefied can be discharged outward.

[0070] In this embodiment, one-way valves are selected as the first control valve 6 and the second control valve 7. The one-way valve can automatically switch between the on and off states based on the pressures at its inlet and outlet, realizing the one-way flow of the gas to be liquefied and the liquid formed by its liquefaction, without additional control.

[0071] In the embodiment of the present invention, the axis of the resonance tube 2 is arranged in the vertical direction. The first end of the resonance tube 2 is the top end of the resonance tube 2, and the second end of the resonance tube 2 is the bottom end of the resonance tube 2. The liquid outlet 3 is arranged on the end face of the second end of the resonance tube 2, which can reduce the difficulty of liquid discharge, enable the liquid gathered at the second end of the resonance tube 2 to be smoothly discharged, and avoid liquid residue.

[0072] In summary, the gas liquefaction device provided by the embodiment of the present invention eliminates the cold-end heat exchanger structure, enables the gas to be liquefied to enter the resonance tube 2, enables the gas to be liquefied to directly absorb cold energy and achieve condensation in the resonance tube 2, and reduces the thermodynamic irreversibility loss caused by finite temperature difference heat transfer from the source. Moreover, it realizes the direct phase change liquefaction of the gas to be liquefied in the thermoacoustic field, shortens the cold energy transfer path, and improves the thermodynamic perfection degree of the system. It also solves the problem of gas-liquid phase blockage during the liquefaction process. By adopting a plate stack assembly with a larger cross-sectional area of the flow channel at the coldest end, the discharge capacity of the condensed liquid is improved, ensuring the stability of the continuous operation of the system.

[0073] In addition, the gas liquefaction device provided by the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to the liquefaction of common low-temperature gases such as natural gas and nitrogen, enabling it to be promoted to the industrial low-temperature liquefaction field.

[0074] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a gas liquefaction system, including the gas liquefaction device provided in any of the above embodiments. The gas liquefaction device provided in any of the above embodiments has the advantages of high gas liquefaction efficiency and simple structure. Therefore, the gas liquefaction system provided in this embodiment also has the advantages of high gas liquefaction efficiency and simple structure. The derivation process of the beneficial effects of the gas liquefaction system in the embodiment of the present invention is substantially similar to the derivation process of the beneficial effects of the above gas liquefaction device, so it will not be elaborated here.

[0075] In this embodiment, the gas liquefaction system further includes a gas storage tank 11 and a liquid storage tank 12.

[0076] The gas storage tank 11 is used to hold the gas to be liquefied and serves as a gas source. The gas storage tank 11 is connected to the gas inlet 4 of the gas liquefaction device, and the first control valve 6 of the gas liquefaction device is located between the gas storage tank 11 and the gas inlet 4.

[0077] The liquid storage tank 12 is used to collect the liquid formed by liquefying the gas to be liquefied. The liquid storage tank 12 is connected to the liquid outlet 3 of the gas liquefaction device, and the second control valve 7 of the gas liquefaction device is located between the liquid storage tank 12 and the liquid outlet 3.

[0078] The gas to be liquefied in the gas storage tank 11 intermittently enters the resonance tube 2 of the gas liquefaction device. After condensing and liquefying on the wall surface of the flow passage of the plate stack assembly of the gas liquefaction device, the formed liquid gathers at the bottom of the resonance tube 2 and is intermittently discharged into the liquid storage tank 12.

[0079] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features. However, these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A gas liquefaction device, characterized in that, Comprising: An acoustic wave generator (1), adapted to output acoustic waves; A resonance tube (2), a first end of the resonance tube (2) being connected to the acoustic wave generator (1), a second end of the resonance tube (2) being provided with a liquid outlet (3), and a side wall of the resonance tube (2) being provided with a gas inlet (4) adapted to allow a gas to be liquefied from a gas supply source to enter the resonance tube (2); A plate stack assembly, disposed inside the resonance tube (2), and the gas inlet (4) being located on a side of the plate stack assembly close to the acoustic wave generator (1); A hot end heat exchanger (5), disposed inside the resonance tube (2), the hot end heat exchanger (5) being disposed on a side of the plate stack assembly close to the acoustic wave generator (1), and the hot end heat exchanger (5) being adapted to transfer heat from a hot end of the plate stack assembly to an external medium; A first control valve (6), disposed at the gas inlet (4), and an opening and closing state of the first control valve (6) being controllable; A second control valve (7), disposed at the liquid outlet (3), and an opening and closing state of the second control valve (7) being controllable.

2. The gas liquefaction device according to claim 1, characterized in that The plate stack assembly includes: At least two plate stacks, each of the plate stacks being distributed along an axis direction of the resonance tube (2), each of the plate stacks having a plurality of spaced-apart flow channels, and in any two adjacent plate stacks, a cross-sectional area of the flow channels of the one closer to the hot end heat exchanger (5) being smaller than a cross-sectional area of the flow channels of the one farther from the hot end heat exchanger (5).

3. The gas liquefaction device according to claim 2, wherein The plate stack assembly includes three plate stacks, the three plate stacks being a first plate stack (8), a second plate stack (9), and a third plate stack (10) respectively, the first plate stack (8), the second plate stack (9), and the third plate stack (10) being distributed in sequence along a direction away from the hot end heat exchanger (5), the flow channels in the first plate stack (8) being first flow channels, the flow channels in the second plate stack (9) being second flow channels, and the flow channels in the third plate stack (10) being third flow channels; A cross-sectional area of the second flow channels is 1.5 to 3 times a cross-sectional area of the first flow channels, and a cross-sectional area of the third flow channels is 3 to 10 times a cross-sectional area of the first flow channels.

4. The gas liquefaction device according to claim 1, characterized in that The plate stack assembly includes: A fourth plate stack, having a plurality of spaced-apart fourth flow channels, a first end of the fourth flow channels close to the hot end heat exchanger (5) being a first end of the fourth flow channels, a second end of the fourth flow channels away from the hot end heat exchanger (5) being a second end of the fourth flow channels, and a cross-sectional area of the first end of the fourth flow channels being smaller than a cross-sectional area of the second end of the fourth flow channels.

5. The gas liquefaction device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first control valve (6) has an air inlet and an air outlet, and the first control valve (6) is adapted to switch to a conducting state when a pressure at its air outlet is less than a pressure at its air inlet, and to switch to a cut-off state when the pressure at its air outlet is greater than the pressure at its air inlet; The second control valve (7) has a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, and the second control valve (7) is adapted to switch to a conducting state when the pressure at its liquid inlet is greater than the pressure at its liquid outlet, and to switch to a cut-off state when the pressure at its liquid inlet is less than the pressure at its liquid outlet.

6. The gas liquefaction device according to claim 5, wherein, The first control valve (6) and the second control valve (7) are both one-way valves.

7. The gas liquefaction device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The axis of the resonance tube (2) is arranged in the vertical direction, the second end of the resonance tube (2) is the bottom end of the resonance tube (2), and the liquid outlet (3) is arranged on the end face of the second end of the resonance tube (2).

8. The gas liquefaction device according to claim 1, wherein The hot-end heat exchanger (5) has a medium passage for the external medium to flow through, and the gas liquefaction device further includes: A cooling assembly, connected to the medium passage, and the cooling assembly is adapted to refrigerate the external medium.

9. A gas liquefaction system, characterized in that, Including the gas liquefaction device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The gas liquefaction system according to claim 9, wherein It further includes: A gas storage tank (11), adapted to accommodate the gas to be liquefied, the gas storage tank (11) is connected to the gas inlet (4) of the gas liquefaction device, and the first control valve (6) of the gas liquefaction device is located between the gas storage tank (11) and the gas inlet (4); A liquid storage tank (12), adapted to collect the liquid formed by liquefying the gas to be liquefied, the liquid storage tank (12) is connected to the liquid outlet (3) of the gas liquefaction device, and the second control valve (7) of the gas liquefaction device is located between the liquid storage tank (12) and the liquid outlet (3).

Images