A gas-liquid separator and separation method suitable for high pressure air

Abstract

This invention discloses a gas-liquid separator and separation method suitable for high-pressure air. The gas-liquid separator mainly consists of a hydrocyclone blade assembly, an inlet pipe, a left shell, a right shell, a water-blocking ring, an outlet pipe, an intermediate pipe, and a drain nozzle. The hydrocyclone blade assembly consists of a stator hydrocyclone blade, a moving hydrocyclone blade, a bearing, a bushing, and a nut. The moving hydrocyclone blade is mounted on the shaft of the stator hydrocyclone blade via the bearing and bushing. After the high-pressure humid air passes through the hydrocyclone blade assembly, the saturated droplets are thrown to the wall of the inlet pipe by the swirling action, and then discharged through the drain nozzle after passing through the labyrinthine path between the inlet pipe and the shell. The dry air after liquid separation is discharged through the outlet pipe. This invention generates secondary swirling through the moving hydrocyclone blade in the hydrocyclone blade assembly, which causes secondary separation of droplets in the air that were not separated. The labyrinthine path makes it difficult for the separated droplets to flow back, and the dry air improves its original flow direction after secondary swirling, resulting in less air leakage and achieving high dehumidification and separation efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of gas-liquid separator design technology, specifically a gas-liquid separator and its separation method applicable to high-pressure air. Background Technology

[0002] In aircraft environmental control systems, high-pressure air exiting the hot side of the condenser undergoes cooling, causing a large amount of saturated water vapor to precipitate as droplets. A gas-liquid separator is used to separate these droplets. Typically, there are two types of gas-liquid separators: tangential entry and axial entry. Due to the spatial layout requirements of environmental control systems, axial gas-liquid separators are widely used.

[0003] The swirl blades of axial gas-liquid separators are divided into stator swirl blades and moving swirl blades. Although the separation efficiency of moving swirl blades is higher than that of stator swirl blades, gas-liquid separators with moving swirl blades require an external shaft power input, which limits their application in flight control systems. Although adding stator swirl blades can also improve the separation efficiency to a certain extent, multiple stator swirl blades will greatly increase the axial length of the separator, making its installation subject to spatial layout limitations. When the air humidity is high, the efficiency of existing separators is often difficult to meet the requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to provide a gas-liquid separator and separation method suitable for high-pressure air, which can solve the technical problem that the separation efficiency of the separator is low due to the spatial layout limitation in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A gas-liquid separator suitable for high-pressure air includes a cyclone blade assembly disposed within the inlet channel of the gas-liquid separator, the cyclone blade assembly further comprising:

[0007] The stator swirl vane is fixed inside the inlet channel of the gas-liquid separator, and the air inlet side of the stator swirl vane corresponds to the inlet of the gas-liquid separator.

[0008] The moving swirl blade is disposed in the inlet channel of the gas-liquid separator and located on the exhaust side of the stator swirl blade. The moving swirl blade and the stator swirl blade are assembled together on a rotating shaft, and the moving swirl blade is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft.

[0009] As one solution:

[0010] The tip of the stator cyclone blade is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the gas-liquid separator inlet channel, and the root of the stator cyclone blade is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft.

[0011] The moving swirl blade is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft via two spaced bearings. A bushing is provided between the two bearings and fitted onto the rotating shaft. A nut is installed on the rotating shaft and on the side of the axial end face of the moving swirl blade away from the stator swirl blade to limit the bearing position.

[0012] As one option, the diameter of the moving swirl blade is smaller than the diameter of the stationary swirl blade.

[0013] As one solution, gas-liquid separators suitable for high-pressure air also include:

[0014] A housing, the housing including an inlet, an outlet and an internal cavity;

[0015] The inlet pipe forms the inlet channel of the gas-liquid separator. The first end of the inlet pipe is located outside the shell, and the second end extends through the inlet of the shell into the internal cavity of the shell. There is a support ring inside the inlet pipe and near the second end of the inlet pipe. The support ring is connected to the inner wall of the inlet pipe by multiple equally spaced support plates. The interval between adjacent support plates forms a flow channel. The hydrocyclone blade assembly is set inside the inlet pipe.

[0016] The intermediate tube, a portion of which is located in the internal cavity of the housing, has its first end inserted into the inlet tube via the second end of the inlet tube and the inner annular surface of the support ring inside the inlet tube, and its second end extending to the outlet of the housing.

[0017] The water-blocking ring is an annular component installed in the internal cavity of the housing. The intermediate tube passes through the inner annular hole of the water-blocking ring, and the second end of the inlet tube is located between the inner wall of the water-blocking ring and the outer wall of the intermediate tube. The axial end face of the water-blocking ring on the outlet side of the housing is closed, and the axial end face on the inlet side of the housing is open.

[0018] An outlet pipe is installed at the outlet of the housing. The first end of the outlet pipe extends to the outside of the housing, the second end is located in the internal cavity of the housing, and the second end of the intermediate pipe is located inside the outlet pipe.

[0019] A drain nozzle is installed on the housing near the outlet side of the housing. The inlet of the drain nozzle is connected to the internal cavity of the housing, and the outlet is located on the outside of the housing.

[0020] As one solution: multiple support plates extend along the axial and radial directions of the inlet pipe, wherein the axial extension forms a length that matches the axial direction of the support ring, and after extending radially, one end of the support plate is connected to the inner wall of the inlet pipe and the other end is connected to the support ring. Multiple flow channels serve as channels to connect the inlet pipe, the water-blocking ring, the internal cavity of the shell, and the drain nozzle.

[0021] As one embodiment, the inlet pipe comprises a frustum and a cylinder, wherein the bottom surface of the frustum forms the second end of the inlet pipe, a support ring is located inside the frustum, the top surface of the frustum is connected to the first end of the cylinder, and the second end of the cylinder forms the first end of the inlet pipe.

[0022] As one embodiment, the housing includes a right housing and a left housing, both of which are variable cross-section housings. The maximum outer diameter section of the right housing is connected to the maximum outer diameter section of the left housing. The minimum outer diameter section of the right housing forms the housing inlet, and the minimum outer diameter section of the left housing forms the housing outlet.

[0023] As one option, the inner wall of the inlet pipe is provided with a boss, and the stator swirl blades are positioned and installed at the boss.

[0024] As one solution:

[0025] The water-blocking ring is welded to the outer wall of the intermediate pipe along the circumferential direction;

[0026] The inlet of the shell is welded to the inlet pipe circumferentially;

[0027] The outlet of the housing is welded to the outlet pipe circumferentially;

[0028] The drain nozzle is welded to the shell circumferentially.

[0029] A gas-liquid separation method suitable for high-pressure air, employing the aforementioned gas-liquid separator with an inlet pipe, an intermediate pipe, a water-blocking ring, and a drain pipe, and comprising:

[0030] After the high-pressure humid hot air is cooled, the saturated water vapor in it is largely precipitated as liquid droplets due to the temperature drop. The high-pressure humid air is then introduced into the inlet pipe. After passing through the hydrocyclone blade assembly, the high-pressure humid air rotates. The liquid droplets are thrown by centrifugal force to flow on the inner wall area of ​​the inlet pipe, while the high-pressure dry air flows in the central area of ​​the inlet pipe. The gas-liquid separation method is divided into two modes.

[0031] In the high-flow-rate, high-pressure humid air mode, a portion of the droplets are separated by the stator swirl vanes, and the remaining droplets are separated by the moving swirl vanes. At the same time, the gas energy of the high-pressure air is consumed by the rotating moving swirl vanes.

[0032] In the low-flow, high-pressure humid air mode, all droplets are separated by the stator swirl vanes while the dehumidified high-pressure air is rectified by the non-rotating moving swirl vanes.

[0033] The separated droplets pass through a labyrinthine path formed by the inner wall of the inlet pipe, the flow channel formed by the gap between adjacent support plates, the space between the water baffle ring and the outer wall of the intermediate pipe, and the space between the outer ring surface of the water baffle ring and the internal cavity of the shell, and are then discharged through the drain nozzle. The high-pressure dry air is discharged through the intermediate pipe and the outlet pipe, thus completing the separation of the high-pressure dry air and the droplets.

[0034] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following characteristics:

[0035] (1) The stationary swirling blades remain stationary, while the moving swirling blades can rotate freely. Secondary swirling is generated by the moving swirling blades in the swirling blade assembly. The unseparated droplets will be thrown onto the inner wall of the pipe / the area near the inner wall to flow again.

[0036] (2) A labyrinthine path was designed to make it difficult for the separated droplets to flow back, while the high-pressure dry air improved its original flow direction through a secondary vortex, resulting in less air leakage and achieving high dehumidification and separation efficiency.

[0037] (3) The moving swirling blade and the stationary swirling blade are integrated into a single swirling blade assembly, which reduces the axial dimension of the gas-liquid separator and solves the technical problem of low separation efficiency due to spatial layout limitations in the prior art. The moving swirling blade does not require external power to drive it (the kinetic energy of the gas is converted into the mechanical energy of the moving swirling blade). Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the gas-liquid separator structure applicable to high-pressure air in this invention;

[0039] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram (cross-section) of the gas-liquid separator in its component state;

[0040] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the hydrocyclone blade assembly.

[0041] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the inlet pipe structure;

[0042] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram (cross-section) of the inside of the inlet pipe;

[0043] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the gas-liquid separator of the present invention;

[0044] In the figure, 1-cyclone blade assembly, 2-inlet pipe, 3-right shell, 4-left shell, 5-water baffle ring, 6-outlet pipe, 7-intermediate pipe, 8-drain nozzle, 11-stator cyclone blade, 12-bearing, 13-moving cyclone blade, 14-shaft sleeve, 15-nut, 16-support ring. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. However, it should not be construed that the scope of the subject matter of the present invention is limited to the following embodiments. All modifications, substitutions and alterations made based on ordinary technical knowledge and common practices in the art without departing from the above-described technical concept of the present invention are included within the scope of the present invention.

[0046] like Figures 1-6 As shown, this invention presents a gas-liquid separator suitable for high-pressure air and its working method. The gas-liquid separator mainly consists of a hydrocyclone blade assembly 1, an inlet pipe 2, a right shell 3, a left shell 4, a water baffle ring 5, an outlet pipe 6, an intermediate pipe 7, and a drain nozzle 8.

[0047] like Figure 2 The hydrocyclone blade assembly 1 consists of a stator hydrocyclone blade 11, a moving hydrocyclone blade 13, a bearing 12, a bushing 14, and a nut 15. The moving hydrocyclone blade 12 is mounted on the rotating shaft of the stator hydrocyclone blade 11 via two bearings 12 and a bushing 14. Moist air enters the intake pipe 2 and then passes through the hydrocyclone blade assembly 1.

[0048] like Figure 6 Saturated droplets in humid air are thrown onto the inner wall of inlet pipe 2 after being separated by swirling (centrifugal separation). They are then discharged through drain nozzle 8 after passing through the flow channel formed by the gap between adjacent support plates, the space between water baffle ring 5 and intermediate pipe 7, the space between water baffle ring 5 and right shell 3, and the space between water baffle ring 5 and left shell 4. The high-pressure dry air after liquid separation is discharged after passing through intermediate pipe 7 and outlet pipe 6. Figure 6 The thicker arrows represent the flow paths of the high-pressure dry air formed after the separation of high-pressure humid air, while the thinner arrows represent the flow paths of the droplets formed after the separation of high-pressure humid air.

[0049] The diameter of the moving swirling blade 13 in the hydrocyclone blade assembly 1 is 2-3 mm smaller than the diameter of the stator swirling blade 11, which facilitates the flow of droplets separated by the stator swirling blade 11 along the inner wall of the inlet pipe 2. The hydrocyclone blade assembly 1 is inserted into the inlet pipe 2, and the top (blade tip) of the stator swirling blade 11 is spot-welded to the inner wall of the inlet pipe 2 to prevent the stator swirling blade 11 from rotating axially and circumferentially.

[0050] like Figure 4 and Figure 5The left end of the inlet pipe 2 is a frustum structure, and the right end is a cylindrical structure. On the inner wall of the frustum structure are four support plates distributed at equal angles along the same circumference. The ends of the support plates are connected to the support ring 16. The inner ring hole of the support ring 16 is used to install the intermediate pipe 7, facilitating its support. The four support plates divide the space between the outer wall of the support ring 16 and the inner wall of the frustum structure of the inlet pipe 2 into four flow channels. These four flow channels connect the water-blocking ring 5 and the inlet pipe 2. Figure 4 The inner wall of the inlet pipe 2 is also provided with a boss to facilitate the contact and positioning of the hydrocyclone blade assembly 1 with it.

[0051] After the intermediate pipe 7 is inserted into the water-blocking ring 5 and adjusted to a suitable position, the water-blocking ring 5 is laser-welded together with the intermediate pipe 7 along the circumference of the intermediate pipe 7.

[0052] After the inlet pipe 2 is inserted into the right housing 3 and adjusted to a suitable position, the right housing 3 is welded together with the inlet pipe 2 along the circumference of the inlet pipe 2.

[0053] The left shell 4 is first welded to the outlet pipe 6 as one piece, and then aligned with the right shell 3 and welded together as one piece.

[0054] After the drain nozzle 8 is inserted into the slot on the left housing 4 to the appropriate position, it is welded together with the left housing 4 in the circumferential direction.

[0055] The method for gas-liquid separation using the above-mentioned gas-liquid separator includes the following steps:

[0056] After the high-pressure, humid, and hot air is cooled, its saturated water vapor will precipitate out in large quantities and turn into droplets due to the decrease in temperature. After the high-pressure humid air is introduced into the inlet pipe 2 of the gas-liquid separator, the high-pressure humid air and the precipitated droplets will rotate after passing through the hydrocyclone blade assembly 1. Due to the large weight of the droplets, during the rotation, the droplets will be thrown onto the inner wall surface of the inlet pipe 2 or flow in the area near the inner wall surface, while the high-pressure dry air will move in the central area of ​​the inlet pipe 2.

[0057] When the high-pressure humid air flow rate is large, due to the high speed, there are still droplets that have not been separated after passing through the stator swirling blade 11 of the swirling blade assembly 1. At this time, the droplets that have not been separated are separated again by the moving swirling blade 12. The rotation of the moving swirling blade 12 will consume a certain amount of high-pressure gas energy to prevent impact damage to other components.

[0058] When the flow rate of the high-pressure humid air is small, the swirling blade 12 is in a stationary state, which can rectify the high-pressure dry air after dehumidification, improve its flow direction, and produce less air leakage.

[0059] The separated droplets flow on or near the inner wall of inlet pipe 2, and then pass through a labyrinthine path (such as...). Figure 5 The path indicated by the thinner arrow is a maze-like path, which consists of the flow channel formed by the gap between the inner wall of the inlet pipe 2 and the support plate, the water-blocking ring 5, the right shell 3 and the left shell 4, until it is discharged from the drain nozzle 8. The high-pressure dry air is discharged from the outlet pipe 6, completing the separation of the high-pressure dry air and the droplets.

[0060] Simulation analysis revealed that when high-pressure humid air passes only through the stator swirl vane 11, some gas will be discharged from the drain nozzle 8 along with droplets through the wall of the inlet pipe 2. However, by adding the moving swirl vane 13, the airflow direction changes, becoming more concentrated at the center of the hydrocyclone blade assembly 1, thus reducing the possibility of gas being discharged along the wall. This reduces air loss and minimizes air leakage. Furthermore, the added moving swirl vane 13 can perform secondary separation of droplets that have passed through the stator swirl vane 11 but were not separated, and the airflow is concentrated at the center of the hydrocyclone blade assembly 1, reducing interference with the droplets and preventing some droplets from being carried out by the airflow, thus affecting the separation efficiency.

[0061] Those skilled in the art can make various adjustments to this application based on the actual circumstances. The general principles defined in this application can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from their connotations. Therefore, this application is not limited to the forms shown in the specific embodiments, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features set forth in the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A gas-liquid separator suitable for high-pressure air, characterized in that: This includes a hydrocyclone blade assembly (1) disposed within the inlet channel of a gas-liquid separator, wherein the hydrocyclone blade assembly (1) further comprises: The stator swirl vane (11) is fixed in the inlet channel of the gas-liquid separator, and the air inlet side of the stator swirl vane (11) corresponds to the inlet of the gas-liquid separator. The moving swirl blade (13) is located in the inlet channel of the gas-liquid separator and on the exhaust side of the stator swirl blade (11). The moving swirl blade (13) and the stator swirl blade (11) are assembled together on a rotating shaft, and the moving swirl blade (13) is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft. A housing, the housing including an inlet, an outlet and an internal cavity; The inlet pipe (2) forms the inlet channel of the gas-liquid separator. The first end of the inlet pipe (2) is located outside the shell, and the second end extends through the inlet of the shell into the internal cavity of the shell. There is a support ring (16) inside the inlet pipe (2) and near the second end of the inlet pipe (2). The support ring (16) is connected to the inner wall of the inlet pipe (2) through multiple equally spaced support plates. The interval between adjacent support plates forms a flow channel. The hydrocyclone blade assembly (1) is set inside the inlet pipe (2). Intermediate tube (7), a portion of which is located in the internal cavity of the shell, the first end of the intermediate tube (7) is inserted into the outer wall of the intermediate tube (7) via the second end of the inlet tube (2) and the inner annular surface of the support ring (16) inside the inlet tube (2), and the second end of the intermediate tube (7) extends to the outlet of the shell; Water-blocking ring (5), the water-blocking ring (5) is an annular part installed in the internal cavity of the shell, the intermediate tube (7) passes through the inner annular hole of the water-blocking ring (5), the second end of the inlet tube (2) is located between the inner wall of the water-blocking ring (5) and the outer wall of the intermediate tube (7), the axial end face of the water-blocking ring (5) corresponding to the outlet side of the shell is closed, and the axial end face corresponding to the inlet side of the shell is open; The outlet pipe (6) is installed at the outlet of the housing. The first end of the outlet pipe (6) extends to the outside of the housing, and the second end is located in the internal cavity of the housing. The second end of the intermediate pipe (7) is located inside the outlet pipe (6). Drain nozzle (8), the drain nozzle (8) is installed on the housing near the outlet side of the housing, the inlet of the drain nozzle (8) is connected to the internal cavity of the housing, and the outlet is located on the outside of the housing; The tip of the stator swirl blade (11) is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the gas-liquid separator inlet channel, and the root of the stator swirl blade (11) is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft. The moving swirl blade (13) is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft by two spaced bearings (12). A bushing (14) is provided between the two bearings (12) and sleeved on the rotating shaft. A nut (15) is installed on the rotating shaft and on the side of the axial end face of the moving swirl blade (13) away from the stator swirl blade (11) to limit the bearing position. Multiple support plates extend along the axial and radial directions of the inlet pipe (2), wherein the axial extension forms a length that matches the axial direction of the support ring (16), and after the radial extension, one end of the plate is connected to the inner wall of the inlet pipe (2), and the other end is connected to the support ring (16). Multiple flow channels serve as channels to connect the inlet pipe (2), the water baffle ring (5), the internal cavity of the shell, and the drain nozzle (8). The inlet pipe (2) has an outer shape consisting of a frustum and a cylinder, wherein the bottom surface of the frustum forms the second end of the inlet pipe (2), the support ring (16) is located inside the frustum, the top surface of the frustum is connected to the first end of the cylinder, and the second end of the cylinder forms the first end of the inlet pipe (2).

2. A gas-liquid separator suitable for high-pressure air according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the moving swirl blade (13) is smaller than the diameter of the stationary swirl blade (11).

3. The gas-liquid separator suitable for high-pressure air according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell includes a right shell (3) and a left shell (4). Both the right shell (3) and the left shell (4) are variable cross-section shells. The maximum outer diameter section of the right shell (3) is connected to the maximum outer diameter section of the left shell (4). The minimum outer diameter section of the right shell (3) forms the inlet of the shell, and the minimum outer diameter section of the left shell (4) forms the outlet of the shell.

4. The gas-liquid separator suitable for high-pressure air according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner wall of the inlet pipe (2) is provided with a boss, and the stator swirl vane (11) is positioned and installed at the boss.

5. The gas-liquid separator suitable for high-pressure air according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water-blocking ring (5) is welded to the outer wall of the intermediate pipe (7) along the circumferential direction; The inlet of the shell is welded to the inlet pipe (2) circumferentially; The outlet of the shell is welded to the outlet pipe (6) circumferentially; The drain nozzle (8) is welded to the shell in the circumferential direction.

6. A gas-liquid separation method suitable for high-pressure air, characterized in that: The gas-liquid separator according to claim 1 is used, and includes: After the high-pressure humid air is cooled, the saturated water vapor in it is converted into droplets due to the temperature drop. The high-pressure humid air is then introduced into the inlet pipe (2). After passing through the hydrocyclone blade assembly (1), the high-pressure humid air rotates. The droplets are thrown by centrifugal force to the inner wall area of ​​the inlet pipe (2) and flow. The high-pressure dry air flows in the central area of ​​the inlet pipe (2). The gas-liquid separation method is divided into two modes. In the high-flow-rate high-pressure humid air mode, a portion of the droplets are separated by the stator swirl vane (11), and the remaining droplets are separated by the moving swirl vane (13). At the same time, the gas energy of the high-pressure air is consumed by the rotating moving swirl vane (13). In the low-flow high-pressure humid air mode, all droplets are separated by the stator swirl vane (11) while the dehumidified high-pressure air is rectified by the non-rotating swirl vane (13). The separated droplets pass through a maze-like path formed by the inner wall of the inlet pipe (2), the flow channel formed by the gap between adjacent support plates, the space between the water baffle ring (5) and the outer wall of the intermediate pipe (7), and the space between the outer ring surface of the water baffle ring (5) and the internal cavity of the shell, and are discharged through the drain nozzle (8). The high-pressure dry air is discharged through the intermediate pipe (7) and the outlet pipe (6), thus completing the separation of high-pressure dry air and droplets.

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