Air compression station

Abstract

The utility model provides an air compression station which is used for the technical field of air compression, and particularly relates to an air compression station which comprises an air compressor unit, and an air inlet of the air compressor unit communicates with the atmosphere; the air storage tank is divided into a compressed air storage cavity and a gaseous thermal medium storage cavity which are mutually independent, the pressure of the compressed air storage cavity and the pressure of the gaseous thermal medium storage cavity are equal and are constant values, and an air inlet of the compressed air storage cavity is communicated with an air outlet of the air compressor unit; the liquid storage tank can store a liquid thermal medium; a heat exchange loop is arranged between the gaseous thermal medium storage cavity and the liquid storage tank; the heat exchange loop comprises a plurality of thermal expansion branches arranged in parallel, and at least one of the thermal expansion branches participates in thermal medium expansion acting of the heat exchange loop. According to the air compression station, the multiple thermal expansion branches connected in parallel are arranged in the heat exchange loop, so that the working efficiency bottleneck caused by the insufficient variable working condition range of the expansion machine is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of compressed air, and in particular to an air compression station. Background Art

[0002] Compressed air is widely used in medicine, food, machinery, electronics, plastics, textiles, electricity, building materials and other industries for purging, spraying, mixing, conveying and other operations. Large factories in various industries are often equipped with air compressor stations for producing compressed air. However, the air compressor station consumes a lot of electricity to produce compressed air. If compressed air is still needed during peak electricity prices, the electricity cost is very high. At present, the air compressor station that uses heat medium phase change to save energy has a low efficiency of heat medium expansion work, which sometimes cannot meet the energy saving requirements. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of this, the present application provides an air compression station, which solves the bottleneck of work efficiency caused by insufficient variable operating range of the expander by arranging multiple parallel thermal expansion branches in the heat exchange circuit, each thermal expansion branch includes at least one expander, thereby improving heat exchange efficiency and energy saving efficiency.

[0004] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solutions:

[0005] An air compression station, comprising:

[0006] An air compressor unit, the air compressor unit comprising an air inlet and an air outlet, the air inlet of the air compressor unit being connected to the atmosphere;

[0007] An air storage tank is divided into a compressed air storage chamber and a gaseous heat medium storage chamber which are independent of each other, the pressures of the compressed air storage chamber and the gaseous heat medium storage chamber are equal and constant, and the air inlet of the compressed air storage chamber is connected to the air outlet of the air compressor unit;

[0008] Liquid storage tank, capable of storing liquid heat medium;

[0009] A heat exchange circuit is provided between the gaseous heat medium storage chamber and the liquid storage tank;

[0010] In the heat exchange circuit, the gaseous heat medium can flow out from the gas outlet of the gaseous heat medium storage chamber and be stored in the liquid storage tank after being liquefied by exothermic heat; the liquid heat medium in the liquid storage tank can be transported back to the gaseous heat medium storage chamber after being vaporized by endothermic heat;

[0011] The heat exchange circuit includes a plurality of heat expansion branches arranged in parallel, each heat expansion branch includes at least one expander, at least one of the heat expansion branches participates in the expansion work of the heat medium in the heat exchange circuit, or a plurality of or all of the heat expansion branches simultaneously participate in the expansion work of the heat medium in the heat exchange circuit.

[0012] Optionally, the heat exchange circuit includes the gaseous heat medium storage chamber, the heat medium compressor, the condenser, the liquid storage tank, the heater and the expander which are connected in sequence. The gaseous heat medium can flow out from the gas outlet of the gaseous heat medium storage chamber and be stored in the liquid storage tank after being compressed by the heat medium compressor and liquefied by the condenser; the liquid heat medium in the liquid storage tank can be transported back to the gaseous heat medium storage chamber after being vaporized by the heater and expanded and doing work by the expander.

[0013] Optionally, the heat exchange circuit branches out from the heater, and each branch includes one of the expanders.

[0014] Optionally, the heat exchange circuit branches out from the liquid storage tank, and each branch includes the heater and the expander connected in series.

[0015] Optionally, a booster pump is further provided between the liquid storage tank and the heater.

[0016] Optionally, the interior of the gas storage tank is divided into the compressed air storage chamber and the gaseous heat medium storage chamber which are independent and non-communicative with each other by a flexible diaphragm or a free piston.

[0017] Optionally, the compressed air storage chamber is surrounded by the flexible diaphragm, the flexible diaphragm is arranged in the air storage tank, and the inner cavity surrounded by the flexible diaphragm is the compressed air storage chamber; the heat medium storage chamber is formed between the outer surface of the flexible diaphragm and the inner wall of the air storage tank; the flexible diaphragm is provided with a diaphragm opening, and the diaphragm opening is the air inlet and outlet of the compressed air storage chamber.

[0018] Optionally, the air outlet of the air compressor unit and the diaphragm opening are connected via an air supply pipe, and the air supply pipe is also provided with an air supply port, which is connected to the air inlet of the air-consuming equipment.

[0019] Optionally, a first through hole is formed on the gas storage tank, and the gas supply pipeline is passed through the through hole and connected to the diaphragm opening.

[0020] Optionally, the gas storage tank is further provided with a second through hole, and the second through hole is an air inlet and an air outlet of the gaseous heat medium storage cavity.

[0021] The air compression station provided in the present application is provided with a plurality of parallel thermal expansion branches in the heat exchange circuit, and each thermal expansion branch includes at least one expander. This can solve the bottleneck of working efficiency caused by the insufficient variable operating range of the expander, adapt to the flow change of the heat medium in a wider range, thereby improving the working efficiency of the heat medium and improving energy saving efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the air compression station of this application.

[0024] exist Figure 1 middle:

[0025] 1. Air compressor unit; 2. Air storage tank; 21. Compressed air storage chamber; 22. Gaseous heat medium storage chamber; 23. Flexible diaphragm; 3. Gas-using equipment; 4. Heat medium compressor; 5. Condenser; 6. Liquid storage tank; 7. Booster pump; 8. Heater; 9. Expansion unit; 91. First expander; 92. Second expander; 93. Third expander. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present application provides an air compression station, which solves the bottleneck of work efficiency caused by insufficient variable operating range of the expander by arranging multiple parallel thermal expansion branches in a heat exchange circuit, each thermal expansion branch including at least one expander, thereby improving heat exchange efficiency and energy saving efficiency.

[0027] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides an air compression station, comprising:

[0029] The air compressor unit 1 comprises an air inlet and an air outlet, and the air inlet of the air compressor unit 1 is connected to the atmosphere;

[0030] The air storage tank 2 is divided into a compressed air storage chamber 21 and a gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22 which are independent of each other. The pressures of the compressed air storage chamber 21 and the gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22 are equal and constant. The air inlet of the compressed air storage chamber 21 is connected to the air outlet of the air compressor unit 1.

[0031] Liquid storage tank 6, capable of storing liquid heat medium, the heat medium can usually be carbon dioxide, which can absorb and release heat by phase change, of course, other substances that can absorb and release heat by phase change can also be considered;

[0032] A heat exchange circuit is provided between the gaseous heat medium storage chamber and the liquid storage tank 6;

[0033] In the heat exchange circuit, the gaseous heat medium can flow out from the gas outlet of the gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22 and be stored in the liquid storage tank 6 after being liquefied by heat release; the liquid heat medium in the liquid storage tank 6 can be transported back to the gaseous heat medium storage chamber after being vaporized by heat absorption;

[0034] When the electricity price is low during off-peak hours, the compressed air is input into the compressed air storage chamber 21 and the volume increases, and the volume of the gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22 decreases accordingly. The gaseous heat medium can be discharged from the gas outlet of the gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22 to release heat and liquefy, and then stored in the liquid storage tank 6;

[0035] When the electricity price is high and the electricity is not in the off-peak period, the compressed air in the compressed air storage chamber 21 can be output to the gas-using equipment 3. At this time, the volume of the compressed air storage chamber 21 is reduced. At this time, the liquid in the liquid storage tank 6 can be gasified and transported back to the gaseous heat medium storage chamber to keep the pressure of the compressed air storage chamber 21 and the gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22 equal.

[0036] The above-mentioned heat exchange circuit includes multiple heat expansion branches arranged in parallel, each heat expansion branch includes at least one expansion machine, and according to the demand for the liquid heat medium flow in the liquid storage tank 6, at least one of the heat expansion branches participates in the heat medium expansion work of the heat exchange circuit, or multiple or all of the heat expansion branches participate in the heat medium expansion work of the heat exchange circuit at the same time.

[0037] The air compression station provided in the present application is provided with a plurality of parallel thermal expansion branches in the heat exchange circuit, and each thermal expansion branch includes at least one expander, which can solve the bottleneck of working efficiency caused by insufficient variable operating range of the expander. When the demand for heat medium flow is large, multiple or all thermal expansion branches can be enabled, and when the demand for heat medium flow is small, only one thermal expansion branch can be started to adapt to the flow changes of heat medium in a larger range, thereby improving the working efficiency of the heat medium and improving energy saving efficiency.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, specifically, Figure 1As shown, the heat exchange circuit includes a gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22, a heat medium compressor 4, a condenser 5, a liquid storage tank 6, a heater 8 and an expander which are connected in sequence. The gaseous heat medium can flow out from the gas outlet of the gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22 and be compressed and liquefied by the heat medium compressor 4 and the condenser 5 and then stored in the liquid storage tank 6; the liquid heat medium in the liquid storage tank 6 can be gasified by the heater 8 and the expander and then transported back to the gaseous heat medium storage chamber.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the heat exchange circuit is divided into three heat expansion branches after the heater 8, and the first expander 91, the second expander 92 and the third expander 93 are respectively provided in the three heat expansion branches. That is to say, the heat exchange circuit includes a gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22, a heat medium compressor 4, a condenser 5, a liquid storage tank 6 and a heater 8 connected in series in sequence. After the heater 8, there is an expansion unit 9 formed by three parallel expansion machines, and the expansion unit 9 is connected in series with the heater 8 and the gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22 to form a complete heat exchange circuit.

[0040] In this way, the bottleneck problem caused by the low working efficiency of a single expander is solved by connecting multiple expansion units 9 in parallel with other expansion units in the heat exchange circuit, and the purpose of improving the working efficiency can be achieved without adding other equipment.

[0041] In another preferred embodiment, the heat exchange circuit branches out from the liquid storage tank 6, and each branch includes a heater 8 and an expander connected in series.

[0042] In order to further improve the heat exchange efficiency of the equipment after the liquid storage tank 6, each thermal expansion branch includes an expander and a heater 8, that is, the heater 8 and the expander are first connected in series, then in parallel, and then in series to the gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22, so that the heat medium delivered to each expander is fully heated.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, a booster pump 7 is also provided between the liquid storage tank 6 and the heater 8 .

[0044] The booster pump 7 can increase the delivery pressure of the liquid heat medium, so that the outlet of the liquid storage tank 6 is connected to the inlet of the booster pump 7, and the liquid heat medium in the liquid storage tank 6 is pressurized by the booster pump 7 and delivered to the heater 8 and the expander.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment, the interior of the gas storage tank 2 is divided into a compressed air storage chamber 21 and a gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22 which are independent and not communicated with each other by a flexible diaphragm 23 or a free piston.

[0046] In this way, a flexible diaphragm 23 is used in the gas storage tank 2 to separate the compressed air storage chamber 21 and the gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22. The flexible diaphragm can be deformed so that the volume increases or decreases accordingly, but it is not subject to tension and is not easily damaged, thereby adjusting the volume distribution of the compressed air storage chamber 21 and the gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22. Of course, other methods can also be adopted, such as providing a piston-like structure at the cross-section of the gas storage tank 2 to achieve the volume distribution of the compressed air storage chamber 21 and the gaseous heat medium storage chamber 22.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment, the compressed air storage chamber 21 is surrounded by a flexible diaphragm 23, and the flexible diaphragm 23 is arranged in the air storage tank 2, and the inner cavity surrounded by the flexible diaphragm 23 is the compressed air storage chamber 21; a heat medium storage chamber is formed between the outer surface of the flexible diaphragm 23 and the inner wall of the air storage tank 2; a diaphragm opening is arranged on the flexible diaphragm 23, and the diaphragm opening is the air inlet and the air outlet of the compressed air storage chamber 21.

[0048] In order to maintain the strength of the flexible diaphragm 23 and avoid partial damage thereof due to excessive openings and repeated inflation and deflation, only one diaphragm opening is provided on the flexible diaphragm 23 as a common air inlet and outlet of the compressed air storage chamber 21 .

[0049] In a preferred embodiment, the air outlet of the air compressor unit 1 and the diaphragm opening are connected via an air supply pipeline, and the air supply pipeline is also provided with an air supply port, which is connected to the air inlet of the air-consuming equipment 3 .

[0050] In this way, the air compressor unit 1 can directly supply air to the air-consuming equipment 3 through its air outlet, air supply pipe and air supply port, or the air is compressed and stored in the compressed air storage chamber 21, and then supplied to the air-consuming equipment 3 through the air supply pipe and air supply port; both of the above methods can realize the air supply to the air-consuming equipment 3.

[0051] In a preferred embodiment, a first through hole is opened on the gas storage tank 2, and the gas supply pipeline is passed through the through hole and connected to the diaphragm opening.

[0052] The process is relatively simple by passing the air supply pipe through the first through hole and connecting it to the diaphragm opening. Of course, the diaphragm opening can also be directly connected to the first through hole, or the diaphragm opening of the flexible diaphragm 23 can be extended from the first through hole outside the gas storage tank 2 to be connected to the air supply pipe.

[0053] In a preferred embodiment, the gas storage tank 2 is further provided with a second through hole, which is an air inlet and an air outlet of the gaseous heat medium storage chamber.

[0054] The air inlet and the air outlet of the gaseous heat medium storage chamber can be the same, so there is no need to open additional through holes in the gas storage tank 2.

[0055] The basic principles of the present application are described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, strengths, effects, etc. mentioned in the present application are only examples and not limitations, and it cannot be considered that these advantages, strengths, effects, etc. are required by each embodiment of the present application. In addition, the specific details disclosed above are only for the purpose of illustration and ease of understanding, not for limitation, and the above details do not limit the present application to being implemented by adopting the above specific details.

[0056] The block diagrams of the devices, apparatuses, equipment, and systems involved in this application are only illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, and configured in the manner shown in the block diagram. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, these devices, apparatuses, equipment, and systems can be connected, arranged, and configured in any manner. Words such as "including", "comprising", "having", etc. are open words, referring to "including but not limited to", and can be used interchangeably with them. The words "or" and "and" used here refer to the words "or" and can be used interchangeably with them, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The words "such as" used here refer to the phrase "such as but not limited to", and can be used interchangeably with them.

[0057] It should also be noted that in the apparatus, device and method of the present application, each component or each step can be decomposed or recombined, and these decompositions or recombinations should be regarded as equivalent solutions of the present application.

[0058] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present application. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0059] It should be understood that the qualifiers "first", "second", "third", "fourth", "fifth" and "sixth" used in the description of the embodiments of the present application are only used to more clearly explain the technical solutions and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

[0060] The above description has been given for the purpose of illustration and description. In addition, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the forms disclosed herein. Although multiple example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, changes, additions and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. An air compression station, characterized in that: include: An air compressor unit, the air compressor unit comprising an air inlet and an air outlet, the air inlet of the air compressor unit being connected to the atmosphere; An air storage tank is divided into a compressed air storage chamber and a gaseous heat medium storage chamber which are independent of each other, the pressures of the compressed air storage chamber and the gaseous heat medium storage chamber are equal and constant, and the air inlet of the compressed air storage chamber is connected to the air outlet of the air compressor unit; A liquid storage tank capable of storing liquid heat medium, wherein the heat medium is carbon dioxide; A heat exchange circuit is provided between the gaseous heat medium storage chamber and the liquid storage tank; In the heat exchange circuit, the gaseous heat medium can flow out from the gas outlet of the gaseous heat medium storage chamber and be stored in the liquid storage tank after being liquefied by exothermic heat; the liquid heat medium in the liquid storage tank can be transported back to the gaseous heat medium storage chamber after being vaporized by endothermic heat; The heat exchange circuit includes a plurality of heat expansion branches arranged in parallel, each heat expansion branch includes at least one expander, at least one of the heat expansion branches participates in the expansion work of the heat medium in the heat exchange circuit, or a plurality of or all of the heat expansion branches simultaneously participate in the expansion work of the heat medium in the heat exchange circuit.

2. The air compression station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat exchange circuit includes the gaseous heat medium storage chamber, the heat medium compressor, the condenser, the liquid storage tank, the heater and the expander which are connected in sequence. The gaseous heat medium can flow out from the gas outlet of the gaseous heat medium storage chamber and be stored in the liquid storage tank after being compressed by the heat medium compressor and liquefied by the condenser; the liquid heat medium in the liquid storage tank can be transported back to the gaseous heat medium storage chamber after being vaporized by the heater and expanded and worked by the expander.

3. The air compression station according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heat exchange circuit branches out from the heater, and each branch includes one expander.

4. The air compression station according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heat exchange circuit branches out from the liquid storage tank, and each branch includes the heater and the expander connected in series.

5. The air compression station according to claim 2, characterized in that: A booster pump is also provided between the liquid storage tank and the heater.

6. The air compression station according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interior of the gas storage tank is divided into the compressed air storage chamber and the gaseous heat medium storage chamber which are independent and not communicated with each other by a flexible diaphragm or a free piston.

7. The air compression station according to claim 6, characterized in that: The compressed air storage chamber is surrounded by the flexible diaphragm, the flexible diaphragm is arranged in the air storage tank and the inner cavity surrounded by the flexible diaphragm is the compressed air storage chamber; The heat medium storage cavity is formed between the outer surface of the flexible diaphragm and the inner wall of the gas storage tank; The flexible diaphragm is provided with a diaphragm opening, and the diaphragm opening is an air inlet and an air outlet of the compressed air storage chamber.

8. The air compression station according to claim 7, characterized in that: The air outlet of the air compressor unit and the diaphragm opening are communicated with each other through an air supply pipeline. The air supply pipeline is also provided with an air supply port, which is connected to the air inlet of the air-consuming equipment.

9. The air compression station according to claim 8, characterized in that: The gas storage tank is provided with a first through hole, and the gas supply pipeline is passed through the through hole and connected to the diaphragm opening.

10. The air compression station according to claim 9, characterized in that: The gas storage tank is also provided with a second through hole, which is the air inlet and the air outlet of the gaseous heat medium storage cavity.

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