Air float axle drive digital energy air compression station energy recovery system

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of air compression station, disclose a kind of air float axle drive's digital energy air compression station energy recovery system, including air compressor and including air blast heat regenerative adsorption dryer gas processing module, the air compressor includes air suspension bearing and header, the air blast heat regenerative adsorption dryer is equipped with air inlet pipe for connecting the header, the inside of the air inlet pipe is equipped with preheating pipeline, the gas output from the gas output end is first through the preheating pipeline, then enters the air inlet pipe and mixes with the gas in the air inlet pipe, sufficient recovery air compressor main exhaust and the waste heat carried by high-temperature gas discharged by air suspension bearing, for preheating dryer air inlet, reduce the dependence on external heating source;By spiral preheating pipeline and spoiler inside, greatly improve heat exchange efficiency and mixing uniformity, improve heat recovery utilization rate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of air compressor stations, and more particularly to an energy recovery system for a digital energy air compressor station driven by an air-float shaft. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of industrial automation and digital energy systems, compressed air systems have become a crucial power source in the industrial sector. Traditional air compressor stations typically consist of air compressors, air tanks, drying equipment, and filtration devices. Among these, adsorption dryers are key equipment for ensuring compressed air quality, especially in applications with high dew point requirements. Blower-type hot regeneration adsorption dryers are favored because they do not require compressed air for regeneration. However, these dryers still require external heating devices to provide heat during the regeneration process, typically using electric heaters to heat the blower air, resulting in high overall energy consumption and low system efficiency.

[0003] In existing technologies, some solutions attempt to recover energy by utilizing the high-temperature compressed gas or lubricating oil waste heat generated during air compressor operation to preheat the regeneration gas, thereby reducing heater energy consumption. However, these solutions generally suffer from low heat transfer efficiency, insufficient thermal energy utilization, and poor system integration. Especially in high-speed air-bearing shaft air compressors using air suspension bearings, the exhaust temperature is high and the gas cleanliness is high, possessing good potential for waste heat recovery. However, due to the lack of an effective thermal energy coupling mechanism, a large amount of high-quality heat energy is still directly emitted into the environment. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new energy recovery system that can efficiently recover the exhaust waste heat of air-bearing shaft air compressors and achieve intelligent coupling with a blower-type thermal regeneration adsorption dryer to improve overall energy efficiency and reduce operating costs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an energy recovery system for a digital energy air compressor station driven by an air-bearing shaft to address the problem that existing high-speed air compressors using air-bearing shafts have high exhaust temperatures and high gas cleanliness, possessing good waste heat recovery potential, but due to the lack of an effective thermal energy coupling mechanism, a large amount of high-quality thermal energy is still directly emitted into the environment. The specific technical solution is as follows:

[0005] An air-bearing shaft driven digital energy air compressor station energy recovery system includes an air compressor and a gas processing module containing a blower-heat regeneration adsorption dryer. The air compressor includes an air suspension bearing and a gas collection pipe. The gas collection pipe is used to connect the gas output end of the air suspension bearing and the blower-heat regeneration adsorption dryer. The blower-heat regeneration adsorption dryer is provided with an air inlet pipe for connecting to the gas collection pipe. A preheating pipe is provided inside the air inlet pipe. The gas output from the gas output end first passes through the preheating pipe and then enters the air inlet pipe and mixes with the gas in the air inlet pipe.

[0006] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the preheating pipe is arranged in a spiral shape inside the air inlet pipe, and the preheating pipe extends along the gas flow direction. The material of the preheating pipe is a thermally conductive material.

[0007] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the outlet end of the preheating pipe is located in the middle of the interior of the air inlet pipe, and the gas flow direction output from the outlet end of the preheating pipe is the same as the gas flow direction inside the air inlet pipe.

[0008] As an improvement to the above technical solution, a flow-disrupting element is provided on the outer side of the outlet end of the preheating pipe. The flow-disrupting element includes a rotatable shaft and several fan blades connected to the shaft. The shaft is arranged along the gas flow direction and is rotatably connected to the inner side of the air inlet pipe.

[0009] As an improvement to the above technical solution, a temperature sensor is provided inside the air inlet pipe, and the blower-type thermal regeneration adsorption dryer also includes a heater, which is connected to the air inlet pipe, and the temperature sensor is signal-connected to the heater.

[0010] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the outer wall of the air intake pipe is provided with a heat insulation layer, which is made of aluminum silicate fiber or polyurethane foam material, and the thickness of the heat insulation layer is 10–30 mm.

[0011] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the inlet of the air intake pipe is equipped with an electric valve for controlling the flow rate, and a speed sensor is provided on the shaft, the speed sensor being signal-connected to the electric valve.

[0012] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the electric valve controls the electric valve based on the rotational speed of the shaft detected by the speed sensor. The speed sensor is preset with a speed V. When the rotational speed of the shaft meets the speed V, the electric valve gradually reduces the flow rate of the air inlet of the intake pipe per unit time as the rotational speed of the shaft increases.

[0013] As an improvement to the above technical solution, the electric valve is connected to the signal of the blower-type thermal regeneration adsorption dryer. When the blower-type thermal regeneration adsorption dryer stops operating, the electric valve closes the inlet of the air inlet pipe.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are: it fully recovers the waste heat carried by the high-temperature gas discharged from the main exhaust of the air compressor and the air suspension bearing, and uses it to preheat the intake air of the dryer, reducing the dependence on external heating sources; through the synergistic effect of the spiral internal preheating pipe and the turbulence-inducing component, the heat exchange efficiency and mixing uniformity are greatly improved, and the heat energy recovery and utilization rate is increased.

[0015] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Of course, implementing any product or method of this application does not necessarily require achieving all of the advantages described above at the same time. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the intake pipe of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another structure of the air intake pipe of the present invention.

[0020] In the diagram: 1. Air compressor; 2. Blower-type hot regeneration adsorption dryer; 3. Air collection pipe; 11. Air suspension bearing; 21. Air inlet pipe; 22. Preheating pipe; 23. Baffle; 24. Electric valve; 25. Temperature sensor; 26. Speed ​​sensor; 221. Outlet end. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] Existing high-speed air-bearing shaft air compressors, which utilize air suspension bearings, exhibit high exhaust temperatures and gas cleanliness, possessing excellent potential for waste heat recovery. However, due to the lack of an effective thermal coupling mechanism, a significant amount of high-quality heat energy is still directly emitted into the environment. (Please refer to...) Figures 1-3 The present invention provides some embodiments to solve the above problems;

[0023] An energy recovery system for a digital energy air compressor station driven by an air-floating shaft includes an air compressor 1 and a gas processing module including a blower-heat regeneration adsorption dryer 2. The air compressor 1 includes an air suspension bearing 11 and an air collection pipe 3. The air collection pipe 3 is used to connect the gas output end of the air suspension bearing 11 and the blower-heat regeneration adsorption dryer 2. The air compressor 1 adopts the air suspension bearing 11 technology to achieve oil-free, low-friction, and high-efficiency operation, which can significantly improve the overall energy efficiency and operational stability of the system. The gas output end of the air compressor 1 is connected to the air collection pipe 3, which serves as a gas transmission channel to deliver the compressed high-temperature and high-pressure air to the blower-heat regeneration adsorption dryer 2.

[0024] The blower-type hot regeneration adsorption dryer 2 is equipped with an inlet pipe 21 for connecting to the gas collecting pipe 3. A preheating pipe 22 is located inside the inlet pipe 21. Gas output from the gas outlet first passes through the preheating pipe 22 before entering the inlet pipe 21 and mixing with the gas inside. Specifically, a spiral or coiled preheating pipe 22 is specially provided inside the inlet pipe 21. This preheating pipe 22 is connected to the high-temperature exhaust path of the air compressor 1, utilizing the waste heat generated during compression to preheat the air about to enter the dryer. The high-temperature gas discharged from the gas outlet of the air compressor 1 first flows through the preheating pipe 22, transferring heat energy to the air to be treated in the inlet pipe 21 during this process. It then merges back into the inlet pipe 21 and mixes with the airflow inside, achieving cascade utilization of heat energy.

[0025] Regarding the gas output from the air suspension bearing 11, it is understandable that the technology of the air suspension bearing 11 mainly involves: the high-speed rotation of the rotor is achieved through non-contact support via an extremely thin air film, eliminating the need for lubrication and thus achieving maintenance-free, low-vibration, and low-noise high-efficiency operation. However, during high-speed rotation, although friction is minimal, the air within the bearing gap undergoes shearing, compression, and viscous dissipation, still generating a certain amount of heat, leading to an increase in the temperature of the bearing cavity and the supporting airflow. Simultaneously, to maintain stable bearing suspension, a continuous supply of clean compressed air is required as the flotation medium. This portion of the compressed gas used to support the bearing, after fulfilling its load-bearing function, is discharged from the bearing exhaust port, typically at a temperature of 60°C to 90°C, possessing a stable flow rate and recoverable medium-to-low temperature thermal energy.

[0026] In traditional air-bearing compressor systems, the exhaust gas from the air bearing 11 is often directly discharged into the cabinet or external environment, and the heat energy it carries is not effectively utilized. This not only wastes energy but may also affect the heat dissipation environment inside the equipment compartment, increasing the additional cooling burden. However, in the digital energy air compressor station energy recovery system of this invention, this high-temperature exhaust gas is redefined as a usable heat source and incorporated into the overall energy recovery system.

[0027] Preferably, the preheating pipe 22 is arranged in a spiral shape inside the intake pipe 21, and extends along the gas flow direction. The preheating pipe 22 is made of a thermally conductive material. Specifically, this spiral layout significantly extends the heat exchange path, increases the contact area and heat exchange time between the preheating pipe 22 and the intake airflow, thereby effectively improving heat transfer efficiency. At the same time, the spiral structure creates moderate disturbance in the airflow, promoting the disruption and mixing of the gas boundary layer, further enhancing the convective heat transfer effect, avoiding uneven local temperature gradients, and achieving uniform preheating of the intake air.

[0028] In some embodiments, the preheating pipe 22 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, preferably stainless steel, aluminum alloy, or copper alloy, which are metallic materials with excellent thermal conductivity, pressure resistance, and corrosion resistance, to ensure long-term stable operation under high temperature and high pressure conditions. The pipe wall thickness is optimized to maximize heat transfer efficiency and reduce thermal resistance while ensuring structural strength.

[0029] After the high-temperature gas flows out from the gas output end of the air compressor 1, it first flows through the interior of the preheating pipe 22, where the heat energy it carries is efficiently conducted through the pipe wall to the main airflow in the inlet pipe 21. Due to the guiding effect of the spiral structure, the main airflow continuously exchanges heat with the preheating pipe 22 radially and circumferentially during its flow, achieving gradual heating and avoiding thermal shock to the adsorbent material caused by sudden temperature rises, thus ensuring the stable operation of the blower-type thermal regeneration adsorption dryer 2 and extending the adsorbent's lifespan.

[0030] To ensure rapid and uniform mixing of the high-temperature gas output from the preheating pipe 22 with the main airflow in the inlet pipe 21, and to prevent temperature stratification or localized heat accumulation from affecting the stability of subsequent drying processes, the outlet end 221 of the preheating pipe 22 is located in the central region inside the inlet pipe 21, i.e., the core location of the flow field where the airflow velocity is highest and the disturbance is most intense. This arrangement facilitates rapid and thorough contact between the high-temperature gas and the mainstream airflow after entering the main air passage, improving heat and mass transfer efficiency. Simultaneously, the gas discharge direction at the outlet end 221 of the preheating pipe 22 is consistent with the flow direction of the main airflow in the inlet pipe 21, forming a co-current discharge structure. This effectively reduces momentum loss and eddy pressure drop during airflow mixing, reduces system resistance, and improves overall aerodynamic efficiency.

[0031] Preferably, a baffle 23 is provided on the outer side of the outlet end 221 of the preheating pipe 22 to actively enhance the turbulent mixing effect between the high-temperature exhaust gas and the main airflow. The baffle 23 includes a rotatable shaft arranged along the airflow direction and several fan blades fixedly connected to the shaft, forming a micro fluid-driven stirring structure. The two ends of the shaft are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the intake pipe 21 through low-friction bearings or ceramic supports to ensure that it can rotate freely under the action of airflow.

[0032] When the high-temperature gas discharged from the preheating pipe 22 impacts the fan blades, it generates a thrust torque that drives the shaft to rotate, causing the fan blades to continuously churn in the airflow, forming local vortices and shear flow fields, which significantly enhances the lateral diffusion and turbulence intensity between gases. This turbulence mechanism requires no external power input and is entirely self-driven by exhaust kinetic energy, achieving a passively enhanced mixing effect of "flow-driven mixing".

[0033] Furthermore, the position of the baffle 23 is close to the outlet of the preheating pipe 22 to ensure that the high-temperature gas is quickly dispersed and drawn into the mainstream as soon as it enters the main channel, thus avoiding the formation of high-temperature jets adhering to the wall or short-circuiting flow.

[0034] Regarding the turbulence-inducing component 23, it is understandable that the high-temperature gas from the air compressor 1 and the air suspension bearing 11 is discharged through the preheating pipe 22 and needs to be quickly and uniformly mixed with the main compressed air flow after entering the intake pipe 21. However, due to the following factors, the natural mixing efficiency is low: the high-temperature gas has a low density and is prone to forming a "thermal float" that adheres to the pipe wall or accumulates in the center; the preheated gas ejection velocity is inconsistent with the main airflow velocity, which is prone to forming a jet or stratified flow; under low turbulence conditions, the gas diffusion is slow and the mixing time is long.

[0035] If left unchecked, this will result in uneven intake air temperature distribution (local overheating or low temperature zones); heat energy will not be effectively released, leading to a waste of heat in the pipes.

[0036] Preferably, when the inner diameter of the intake pipe 21 is small (e.g., ≤100 mm) or the flow velocity is low, the turbulence element 23 should be set within a range of 5 mm to 20 mm (distance from the preheating pipe 22) to ensure that the high-temperature exhaust gas is disturbed as soon as it is ejected, and quickly entrained into the mainstream, so as to avoid the formation of independent jets or local heat beams.

[0037] When the pipe size is large (e.g., 100 mm to 300 mm) or the airflow velocity is high, this distance can be appropriately increased to 20 mm to 50 mm to allow sufficient space for initial gas diffusion, while preventing the turbulence-inducing element 23 from directly blocking the outlet, causing back pressure increase or flow separation. Simultaneously, the rotating turbulence helps break the gas boundary layer, improving the overall heat and mass transfer rate, and making the inlet temperature more uniform within a shorter flow distance. This provides stable and uniform inlet conditions for the subsequent blower-heated regeneration adsorption dryer 2, improving the consistency and efficiency of adsorbent regeneration.

[0038] In some embodiments, a temperature sensor 25 is provided inside the air inlet pipe 21, and the blower-type hot regeneration adsorption dryer 2 also includes a heater connected to the air inlet pipe 21. The temperature sensor 25 is signal-connected to the heater, forming a closed-loop temperature control circuit. When the temperature sensor 25 detects that the inlet air temperature is lower than the preset regeneration start-up threshold (e.g., 60°C or dynamically set according to the operating conditions), the controller automatically starts the heater to supplement the required heat. This control logic makes full use of the waste heat resources from the exhaust gas of the air compressor 1 and the exhaust gas from the air suspension bearing 11. When the waste heat is sufficient, it can completely or partially replace electric heating, significantly reducing regeneration energy consumption. When there is insufficient waste heat during low load, low temperature environment, or start-up phase, the heater serves as a supplementary heat source to ensure the stable completion of the regeneration process and ensure that the dew point performance of the dryer always meets the standards.

[0039] To reduce heat loss, preferably, the outer wall of the air intake pipe 21 is provided with a heat insulation layer, which is made of aluminum silicate fiber or polyurethane foam material, and the thickness of the heat insulation layer is 10–30 mm.

[0040] In some embodiments, the inlet of the intake pipe 21 is equipped with an electric valve 24 for controlling the flow rate. A speed sensor 26 is mounted on the shaft, and the speed sensor 26 is signal-connected to the electric valve 24. The electric valve 24 is controlled based on the shaft speed detected by the speed sensor 26. The speed sensor 26 has a preset speed V. When the shaft speed meets speed V, the electric valve 24 gradually reduces the flow rate per unit time at the inlet of the intake pipe 21 as the shaft speed increases. Specifically, when the system is running, high-temperature gas is discharged from the preheating pipe 22 and impacts the fan blades of the baffle 23, driving the shaft to rotate. The speed sensor 26 detects the actual shaft speed in real time and feeds the signal back to the control system. When the shaft speed reaches or exceeds the preset value V, the control system determines that the current airflow energy is sufficient and the mixing intensity is good, and then controls the electric valve 24 to gradually close its opening, reducing the gas flow rate per unit time at the inlet of the intake pipe 21. That is, the faster the shaft speed, the smaller the opening of the electric valve 24, and the lower the intake flow rate.

[0041] The rotational speed of the turbulence-inducing component 23 directly reflects the flow rate and kinetic energy level of the preheated gas, which in turn is closely related to the exhaust heat and waste heat recovery intensity of the air compressor 1. A high rotational speed indicates that the system has sufficient waste heat and thorough mixing, and at this time, a large flow rate of air is not required to meet the heat requirements for drying and regeneration; conversely, if the rotational speed is too low, the electric valve 24 will maintain a large opening to ensure sufficient airflow supply.

[0042] Preferably, the electric valve 24 is connected to the blower-type hot regeneration adsorption dryer 2 via a signal connection. When the blower-type hot regeneration adsorption dryer 2 stops operating, the electric valve 24 closes the inlet of the air inlet pipe 21.

[0043] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within the present invention.

Claims

1. An air-bearing shaft driven digital energy air compressor station energy recovery system, comprising an air compressor and a gas processing module including a blower-heat regeneration adsorption dryer, characterized in that, The air compressor includes an air suspension bearing and an air collection pipe. The air collection pipe is used to connect the gas output end of the air suspension bearing and the blower-type thermal regeneration adsorption dryer. The blower-type thermal regeneration adsorption dryer is provided with an air inlet pipe for connecting the air collection pipe. A preheating pipe is provided inside the air inlet pipe. The gas output from the gas output end first passes through the preheating pipe and then enters the air inlet pipe and mixes with the gas in the air inlet pipe. The preheating pipe is arranged in a spiral shape inside the air inlet pipe and extends along the gas flow direction. The preheating pipe is made of a thermally conductive material. The outlet end of the preheating pipe is located in the middle of the inside of the air inlet pipe, and the gas flow direction of the outlet end of the preheating pipe is the same as the gas flow direction in the air inlet pipe. The outlet end of the preheating pipe is provided with a baffle. The baffle includes a rotatable shaft and several fan blades connected to the shaft. The shaft is arranged along the gas flow direction and is rotatably connected to the inside of the air inlet pipe. The inlet of the air intake pipe is equipped with an electric valve for controlling the flow rate, and the shaft is equipped with a speed sensor, which is connected to the electric valve for signal transmission. The electric valve controls the rotational speed of the shaft detected by the speed sensor. The speed sensor is preset with a speed V. When the rotational speed of the shaft meets the speed V, the electric valve gradually reduces the flow rate of the air inlet of the intake pipe per unit time as the rotational speed of the shaft increases.

2. The energy recovery system for a digital energy air compressor station driven by an air-floating shaft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air inlet pipe is equipped with a temperature sensor, and the blower-type thermal regeneration adsorption dryer also includes a heater. The heater is connected to the air inlet pipe, and the temperature sensor is signal-connected to the heater.

3. The energy recovery system for a digital energy air compressor station driven by an air-floating shaft according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer wall of the air intake pipe is provided with a heat insulation layer, which is made of aluminum silicate fiber or polyurethane foam material, and the thickness of the heat insulation layer is 10–30 mm.

4. The energy recovery system for a digital energy air compressor station driven by an air-floating shaft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric valve is connected to the signal of the blower-type thermal regeneration adsorption dryer. When the blower-type thermal regeneration adsorption dryer stops operating, the electric valve closes the inlet of the air inlet pipe.

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