A compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes

Abstract

This invention discloses a compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes, comprising an upper shell, a primary separation tower, a secondary separation tower, and a lower shell. An outlet is located at the top of the upper shell, and the primary separation tower is located inside the upper shell below the outlet. An inlet is located on the side of the upper shell. A flow divider is located between the upper and lower shells, dividing the internal space of the separator into an upper cyclone separation zone and a lower liquid collection zone. The flow divider is mounted on the first support rib of the lower shell. This invention requires no electronic control components or differential pressure sensing modules; it operates entirely through a mechanical linkage mechanism, making it suitable for harsh industrial conditions involving high temperatures, humidity, and dust. It features a reliable structure, low failure rate, and is suitable for long-term continuous mass production operations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of compressed air purification equipment for new energy vehicles, and in particular to a compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes. Background Technology

[0002] The drainage structure of existing central gas source gas-liquid separators is mostly timed electrically controlled drainage. Timed electrically controlled drainage is prone to problems such as empty drainage when there is no water and failure to drain when there is water, resulting in waste of compressed gas source. Conventional differential pressure drainage structure has a lag in response, and the accumulated liquid is prone to secondary vaporization, affecting the cleanliness of the gas source. Meanwhile, the existing drainage structure lacks adaptive sealing and backflow prevention design: when the equipment is pressurized and supplied with air, micro-leakage and depressurization at the drain outlet are likely to occur, resulting in loss of air source pressure; when the equipment is shut down and depressurized, external water accumulation and residual sewage in the pipeline are likely to backflow into the separator tank and air source pipeline, causing pipeline corrosion, impurity accumulation, and contamination of downstream purification equipment and pneumatic actuators.

[0003] In addition, traditional separators mostly adopt a single-stage separation structure, relying solely on gravity or simple vortex flow to complete gas-liquid separation. They cannot meet the drainage requirements of start-stop gas supply conditions, and long-term operation is prone to problems such as water accumulation, excessive water content in the gas source, and equipment jamming. They cannot meet the requirements of stable, low-loss, and reliable central gas supply.

[0004] In summary, existing gas-liquid separators suffer from poor drainage adaptability, easy leakage under pressure, incomplete drainage without pressure, and easy backflow of external water. The industry urgently needs a dedicated central gas source gas-liquid separator that can adapt to gas source pressure start and stop, self-adaptive sealing, fully automatic emptying without pressure, and backflow prevention. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention proposes a compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes. It adopts a coaxial nested two-stage cyclone separation structure, combined with gradually rising angle cyclone vanes and a buoyancy-type automatic drainage mechanism, to achieve high gas-liquid separation efficiency in a compact volume. It can automatically drain liquid without electrical control, resist gas backflow, is suitable for installation in confined spaces on vehicles, and operates stably and reliably.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes includes an upper shell, a primary separation tower, a secondary separation tower, and a lower shell. An outlet is located at the top of the upper shell, and the primary separation tower is located inside the upper shell below the outlet. An inlet is located on the side of the upper shell. A flow divider is provided between the upper and lower shells, dividing the internal space of the separator into an upper cyclone separation zone and a lower liquid collection zone. The flow divider is mounted on the first support rib of the lower shell. The upper end of the primary separation tower is connected to the upper shell via a bearing seat; a secondary separation tower is installed inside the primary separation tower, and the primary and secondary separation towers are arranged coaxially. The lower housing has a water outlet at its bottom and a float basin with its opening facing the diversion plate inside the lower housing. An installation groove is formed at the rim of the float basin. The float basin is fixed to the bottom inner side of the lower housing by a float spring. The float basin installation groove is located on the second support rib of the lower housing. When the float spring is in its free state, the float basin is not in contact with the second support rib. Pressurized gas is introduced through the air inlet, and the float basin cavity is compressed, pressing down the sealing ring at the bottom to block the outlet. When the liquid in the lower liquid collection area submerges the float basin at a preset position, the buoyancy of the liquid in the liquid collection area is greater than the pressure in the basin cavity, causing the float basin to float up and open the outlet. The bottom of the lower housing extends downward to form a water collection cylinder, and a one-way valve is installed at the bottom of the water collection cylinder.

[0007] Preferably, the primary separation tower includes a flow guide sleeve and primary spiral swirl blades. The flow guide sleeve is a hollow sleeve with a cross support at the upper port and an air inlet on the side wall of the lower port. Multiple layers of primary spiral swirl blades are fixed equidistantly along the axial direction on the outer wall of the flow guide sleeve.

[0008] Preferably, the secondary separation tower includes a central mandrel and secondary spiral swirl blades. The upper end of the central mandrel is rotatably connected to a cross bracket on a guide sleeve, and the lower end is rotatably connected to a flow divider. Multiple layers of secondary spiral swirl blades are fixed equidistantly along the axial direction on the outer wall of the central mandrel.

[0009] Preferably, the upper housing and the lower housing are fastened together by bolts.

[0010] Preferably, mounting lugs are provided on the outer walls of both sides of the upper housing, and bolt assembly holes are provided on the mounting lugs, which can be directly bolted and fixed to the heat pump bracket of the new energy vehicle, the air conditioning pipe base, and the fuel cell cooling system mounting base.

[0011] Preferably, the first-stage helical swirl blades are designed with a gradually decreasing helical angle to progressively reduce the fluid swirl velocity.

[0012] Preferably, the diverter plate is provided with a limiting boss to prevent the guide sleeve from swinging during rotation.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. In this invention, when the equipment is under pressure, compressed air is introduced into the separator to generate system air pressure. The air pressure acts downward on the top surface of the float basin, overcoming the elastic force of the float spring and pushing the float basin downward. This causes the bottom sealing ring of the float basin to seal the bottom outlet, achieving a sealed closure of the outlet and eliminating the problems of air leakage and pressure loss under pressure. This ensures stable air pressure inside the separator and eliminates air source loss. When the equipment is stopped and depressurized, the system air pressure inside the separator disappears, the downward air pressure is removed, and the bottom float spring pushes the float basin upward, allowing the outlet to be fully opened. All accumulated water and oil inside the lower shell can be drained, leaving no liquid residue. This completely solves the problem of secondary vaporization of water and pollution of the air source when traditional equipment is stopped. 2. In this invention, the one-way valve has a one-way flow structure, which only allows water inside the tank to be discharged outward, completely preventing external water accumulation and residual sewage in the pipeline from flowing back into the separator and the gas source network, thus avoiding external water pollution of the gas source system from the source; the separator adopts a low-resistance streamlined flow channel design and is equipped with a multi-stage separation structure, resulting in extremely low pressure loss and not affecting the stability of the central gas source network; the float is made of corrosion-resistant and lightweight material, which is highly responsive and can accurately match the gas pressure start and stop conditions, without jamming or failure risks; In summary, the adaptive drainage mechanism requires no electrical control components or differential pressure sensing modules. It operates purely through mechanical linkage, making it suitable for harsh industrial conditions such as high temperature, humidity, and high dust levels. It is structurally reliable, has a low failure rate, and is suitable for long-term mass production and continuous operation scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes proposed in this invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional view along the AA direction; Figure 3 for Figure 1 Cross-sectional view along the BB direction; Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the first-stage separation tower of a compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes proposed in this invention.

[0015] In the diagram: 1 Upper shell, 2 First-stage separation tower, 21 Guide sleeve, 22 First-stage spiral vortex blade, 23 Cross support, 24 Air inlet, 3 Second-stage separation tower, 31 Central mandrel, 32 Second-stage spiral vortex blade, 4 Lower shell, 5 Air outlet connector, 6 Air inlet connector, 7 Diverter plate, 8 First support rib, 9 Water outlet, 10 Float basin, 11 Float spring, 12 Second support rib, 13 Sealing ring, 14 Water collection cylinder, 15 One-way valve, 16 Mounting lug, 17 Limiting boss, 6 Float, 7 Float spring. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments.

[0017] Reference Figure 1-4 A compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes includes an upper shell 1, a primary separation tower 2, a secondary separation tower 3, and a lower shell 4. The upper shell 1 has an outlet connector 5 at its top. The primary separation tower 2 is located inside the upper shell 1 below the outlet connector 5. An inlet connector 6 is located on the side of the upper shell 1. A flow divider 7 is provided between the upper shell 1 and the lower shell 4, dividing the internal space of the shell into an upper cyclone separation zone and a lower liquid collection zone. The flow divider 7 is mounted on a first support rib 8 on the lower shell 4. The upper end of the primary separation tower 2 is connected to the upper shell 1 via a bearing seat. The primary separation tower 2 has a secondary separation tower inside. The first-stage separation tower 2 and the second-stage separation tower 3 are coaxially arranged. The bottom of the lower shell 4 has an outlet 9, and the lower shell 4 contains a float 10 with its opening facing the distribution plate. An installation groove is formed at the rim of the float 10. The float 10 is fixed to the bottom inner side of the lower shell 4 by a float spring 11. The installation groove of the float 10 is located on the second support rib 12 on the lower shell 4. In the free state of the float spring 11, the float 10 does not contact the second support rib 12. When pressurized gas is introduced through the air inlet 6, the float 10 is pressurized, pressing down the sealing ring 13 at the bottom to block the outlet. When the liquid in the lower liquid accumulation area submerges the preset position of the float 10, the accumulation... The buoyancy of the liquid in the liquid collection area is greater than the pressure in the basin cavity, causing the float 10 to float and open the outlet 9. The bottom of the lower shell 4 extends downward to form a water collection cylinder 14, and a one-way valve 15 is installed at the bottom of the water collection cylinder 14. The first-stage separation tower 2 includes a guide sleeve 21 and first-stage spiral swirl blades 22. The guide sleeve 21 is a hollow sleeve, with a cross support 23 at the upper end and an air inlet 24 on the side wall of the lower end. Multiple layers of first-stage spiral swirl blades 22 are fixed equidistantly along the axial direction on the outer wall of the guide sleeve 21. The second-stage separation tower 3 includes a central spindle 31 and second-stage spiral swirl blades 32. The upper end of the central spindle 31 is rotatably connected to... The lower end of the cross bracket on the guide sleeve 21 is rotatably connected to the diverter plate 7. The outer wall of the central spindle 31 is axially fixed with multiple secondary spiral swirl blades 32 at equal intervals. The upper shell 1 and the lower shell 4 are fastened together by bolts. The outer walls on both sides of the upper shell 1 are provided with mounting ears 16, and the mounting ears 16 are provided with bolt assembly holes, which can be directly bolted and fixed to the heat pump bracket of new energy vehicles, the air conditioning pipe base, and the fuel cell cooling system mounting base. The primary spiral swirl blades 25 are designed with a gradually changing spiral helix angle to reduce the fluid swirl speed step by step. The diverter plate 7 is provided with a limiting boss 17 to limit the swing of the guide sleeve 21 when it rotates.

[0018] This invention employs a multi-stage cyclone separation structure with a primary separation tower 2 and a secondary separation tower 3 nested coaxially. It achieves two-stage cyclone gas-liquid separation within a limited internal space. Multi-layered spiral cyclone blades enhance airflow swirling disturbance, increasing the probability of gas-liquid phase collision and condensation. This improves gas-liquid separation efficiency while maintaining a compact overall size. The small overall size of the equipment facilitates direct installation and use in space-constrained environments such as heat pumps in new energy vehicles, air conditioning pipes, and fuel cell cooling systems. The primary spiral cyclone blade 21 uses a gradually decreasing spiral angle structure, which progressively reduces the fluid swirling velocity, preventing excessively high swirling velocities from causing already condensed droplets to be re-entrained and broken up, resulting in secondary atomization and reduced droplet back-mixing, further ensuring gas-liquid separation efficiency. A flow divider 7 divides the internal cavity of the shell into an upper cyclone separation zone and a lower liquid collection zone. The flow divider 7, in conjunction with the limiting boss 17, provides radial constraint on the primary separation tower 2, inhibiting tower rotation. The process generates radial oscillation, improving the operational stability of rotating components, reducing vibration and noise, and extending the service life of the equipment. A buoyancy-type automatic drainage mechanism, consisting of a float basin 10 and float springs 11, is combined with a bottom water collection cylinder 14 and a one-way valve 15. Relying on the interaction between the internal air pressure and the buoyancy of the accumulated liquid, the outlet is automatically sealed and opened, eliminating the need for external electrical control components. The structure is simple and reliable, avoiding manual drainage operations. The one-way valve 15 prevents external gas from backflowing into the separator, ensuring a stable air pressure environment in the pipeline system. The float basin 10 is elastically supported by the float springs 11. In non-working states, the float basin 10 separates from the second support rib, reducing plastic deformation caused by long-term contact and compression of components. Under pressure, the sealing ring 13 seals the outlet; when the buoyancy of the accumulated liquid reaches a threshold, drainage automatically begins. The drainage response is sensitive, and the seal can be quickly reset after drainage, effectively preventing gas leakage with the liquid and reducing system medium loss.

[0019] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes, comprising an upper shell (1), a primary separation tower (2), a secondary separation tower (3), and a lower shell (4), characterized in that, The top of the upper shell (1) is provided with an air outlet (5), and the upper shell (1) located below the air outlet (5) is provided with a first-stage separation tower (2). The side of the upper shell (1) is provided with an air inlet (6). A flow divider (7) is provided between the upper shell (1) and the lower shell (4). The flow divider (7) divides the internal space of the cylinder into an upper swirling separation zone and a lower liquid collection zone. The flow divider (7) is set on the first support rib (8) on the lower shell (4). The upper end of the primary separation tower (2) is connected to the upper shell (1) through a bearing seat; a secondary separation tower (3) is provided inside the primary separation tower (2), and the primary separation tower (2) and the secondary separation tower (3) are arranged coaxially; The lower housing (4) has a water outlet (9) at its bottom and a float (10) with its opening facing the diversion plate inside the lower housing (4). An installation groove is formed at the rim of the float (10). The float (10) is fixed to the bottom of the inner side of the lower housing (4) by a float spring (11). The installation groove of the float (10) is set on the second support rib (12) on the lower housing (4). When the float spring (11) is in a free state, the float basin (10) does not contact the second support rib (12). Pressurized gas is introduced through the air inlet connector (6). The float basin (10) is pressed down and the sealing ring (13) at the bottom blocks the outlet. When the liquid in the lower liquid collection area submerges the float basin (10) at the preset position, the buoyancy of the liquid in the liquid collection area is greater than the pressure in the basin, and the float basin (10) floats up and opens the outlet (9). The bottom of the lower housing (4) extends downward to form a water collection cylinder (14), and a one-way valve (15) is installed at the bottom of the water collection cylinder (14).

2. A compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first-stage separation tower (2) includes a flow guide sleeve (21) and a first-stage spiral swirl blade (22). The flow guide sleeve (21) is a hollow sleeve. A cross support (23) is provided at the upper end of the flow guide sleeve (21), and an air inlet (24) is provided on the side wall of the lower end of the flow guide sleeve (21). Multiple layers of first-stage spiral swirl blades (22) are fixed equidistantly along the axial direction on the outer wall of the flow guide sleeve (21).

3. A compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes according to claim 2, characterized in that, The secondary separation tower (3) includes a central core shaft (31) and secondary spiral swirl blades (32). The upper end of the central core shaft (31) is rotatably connected to a cross bracket on a guide sleeve (21), and the lower end is rotatably connected to a flow divider (7). Multiple layers of secondary spiral swirl blades (32) are fixed equidistantly along the axial direction on the outer wall of the central core shaft (31).

4. A compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes according to claim 3, characterized in that, The upper housing (1) and the lower housing (4) are fastened together by bolts.

5. A compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper housing (1) has mounting ears (16) on both sides of the outer wall. The mounting ears (16) have bolt assembly holes, which can be directly bolted and fixed to the heat pump bracket of the new energy vehicle, the air conditioning pipe base, and the fuel cell cooling system mounting base.

6. A compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first-stage spiral swirling blade (25) is designed with a gradually decreasing spiral angle to progressively reduce the fluid swirling velocity.

7. A compact cyclone gas-liquid separator with multi-stage guide vanes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diverter plate (7) is provided with a limiting boss (17) to limit the swing of the guide sleeve (21) when it rotates.

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