Molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing waste heat of air compressor

Abstract

The utility model discloses a molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing waste heat of an air compressor, and particularly relates to the technical field of molecular sieve regeneration in an air separation system, which comprises a heat storage system formed by sequentially coupling a heat pump, an electric auxiliary heater and a high-temperature heat storage tank; the input end of the heat exchanger is fixedly communicated with the output end of the high-temperature heat storage tank, the output end of the heat exchanger is fixedly communicated with a low-temperature heat storage tank, and the output end of the low-temperature heat storage tank is communicated with the first input end of the heat pump; and the warm water output end of the air waste heat recoverer is communicated with the second input end of the heat pump. The device provides high-temperature nitrogen for a molecular sieve regeneration system, so that waste heat utilization of the air separation compressor is realized, the energy consumption of the system is reduced, and the energy utilization efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of molecular sieve regeneration technology in air separation systems, specifically to a molecular sieve regeneration heating device that utilizes waste heat from an air compressor. Background Technology

[0002] In air separation systems, molecular sieve regeneration typically requires a significant amount of thermal energy. Traditional methods use steam or electricity to heat the waste nitrogen gas to provide the necessary heat for regeneration. (See: [link to relevant documentation]).

[0003] Chinese authorized patent, publication number: CN219580181U, publication date: 2023-08-02, discloses a molecular sieve regeneration system.

[0004] Chinese authorized patent, publication number: CN207562905U, publication date: 2023-08-02, discloses a sub-sieve regeneration device.

[0005] In the existing technology, including the two patents mentioned above, this method suffers from high energy consumption. During the operation of the air separation system and the air compressor within it, a significant amount of compression heat is generated. This heat is typically wasted after cooling with circulating water, resulting in energy waste. Therefore, how to efficiently utilize the waste heat from the air compressor to meet the heat requirements for molecular sieve regeneration while simultaneously reducing system energy consumption is an urgent problem to be solved. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a molecular sieve regeneration heating device that utilizes waste heat from an air compressor to solve the aforementioned problems.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: a molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing waste heat from an air compressor, comprising:

[0008] The thermal storage system consists of a heat pump, an electric auxiliary heater, and a high-temperature thermal storage tank coupled in sequence.

[0009] The heat exchanger has its input end fixedly connected to the output end of the high-temperature heat storage tank, and its output end is fixedly connected to a low-temperature heat storage tank. The output end of the low-temperature heat storage tank is connected to the first input end of the heat pump.

[0010] The air waste heat recovery unit has its warm water output end connected to the second input end of the heat pump.

[0011] Preferably, a first solenoid valve is fixedly connected to the pipeline between the input end of the heat exchanger and the output end of the high-temperature heat storage tank.

[0012] Preferably, a second solenoid valve is fixedly connected to the pipeline between the output end of the heat exchanger and the input end of the low-temperature heat storage tank.

[0013] Preferably, the system also includes an exhaust fan, the output of which is fixedly connected to the input of the air waste heat recovery unit, and a third solenoid valve is fixedly connected to the pipeline between the two.

[0014] The exhaust fan is used to collect the heat generated by the air compressor during operation.

[0015] Preferably, the system also includes an air compressor, wherein the input end of the cooler is fixedly connected to the output end of the air compressor, and a fourth solenoid valve is fixedly connected to the pipeline between the two.

[0016] Preferably, the output end of the cooler is connected to the warm water input end of the air waste heat recovery unit.

[0017] Preferably, the cooler includes an input terminal for circulating water access.

[0018] Preferably, the air waste heat recovery unit is either a plate heat exchanger or a shell-and-tube heat exchanger.

[0019] In the above technical solution, the molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing the waste heat of an air compressor provided by this utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] 1. The air waste heat recovery unit replaces the traditional air cooler. By recovering the waste heat of the high-temperature air from the compressor, it reduces the amount of circulating water cooling and obtains waste heat for use as a system heat source. It realizes the recovery and utilization of low-grade heat, effectively utilizes the waste heat of the air separation compressor's circulating water, and improves energy utilization efficiency.

[0021] 2. By utilizing waste heat from the air waste heat recovery unit and the efficient heat generation of the heat pump, high-efficiency heating is achieved, reducing the energy consumption of traditional molecular sieve electric auxiliary heaters or steam heating. As a result, compared with traditional steam or electric heating, the heat pump efficiency of this device can be increased to over 2.0, and the overall energy consumption of the system is reduced by more than 50%.

[0022] 3. By alternating the storage of hot water in high-temperature and low-temperature thermal storage tanks, the system's energy storage capacity can be realized. By utilizing peak-valley electricity difference and other regulation methods, low-cost energy can be further utilized, thereby improving the system's economic efficiency.

[0023] 4. A heat storage system composed of a heat pump, an electric auxiliary heater, and a high-temperature heat storage tank can store heat during off-peak electricity prices and utilize peak-hour heat storage to improve the system's economic efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram provided for an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0027] 1. Heat pump; 2. Electric auxiliary heater; 3. High-temperature heat storage tank; 4. Low-temperature heat storage tank; 5. Heat exchanger; 6. Air waste heat recovery unit; 7. Control system; 8. Condenser; 9. Air compressor. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of this utility model, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] A molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing waste heat from an air compressor, comprising, as follows: Figure 1 The complete device layout provided includes, in detail:

[0030] The thermal storage system consists of a heat pump 1, an electric auxiliary heater 2, and a high-temperature thermal storage tank 3, coupled sequentially. The coupling refers to the process where hot water output from heat pump 1 passes through electric auxiliary heater 2 and then enters the high-temperature thermal storage tank 3. During this process, a temperature sensor in the pipeline detects the temperature of the hot water entering electric auxiliary heater 2. If the temperature is lower than a preset temperature, heating begins to bring the hot water output from electric auxiliary heater 2 to the predetermined temperature. The water temperature detected by the temperature sensor is calculated using a known algorithm (a well-known technology, not elaborated here) to convert it into the power required to supply electricity to electric auxiliary heater 2, which is the desired heating temperature. It should be noted that electric auxiliary heater 2 also contains an internal temperature sensor to detect whether the hot water output from it has reached the predetermined temperature. These two temperature sensors work together.

[0031] The heat exchanger 5 has its input end fixedly connected to the output end of the high-temperature heat storage tank 3, and its output end is fixedly connected to the low-temperature heat storage tank 4. The output end of the low-temperature heat storage tank 4 is connected to the first input end of the heat pump 1. A second solenoid valve is fixedly connected to the pipeline between the output end of the heat exchanger 5 and the input end of the low-temperature heat storage tank 4. The output of the heat exchanger 5 to the low-temperature heat storage tank 4 can be controlled by the second solenoid valve.

[0032] The air waste heat recovery unit 6 has its warm water output end connected to the second input end of the heat pump 1. The exhaust fan installed in the system has its output end fixedly connected to the input end of the air waste heat recovery unit 6, and a third solenoid valve is fixedly connected to the pipeline between the two. The exhaust fan is used to collect the heat generated by the air compressor 9 and the heat pump 1, which is then exchanged in the air waste heat recovery unit 6. The displaced warm water is then reintroduced into the heat pump 1. Furthermore, the aforementioned third solenoid valve is used to control the delivery of hot air to the air waste heat recovery unit 6 by the exhaust fan.

[0033] The functions of the above components include:

[0034] Heat pump 1: Recovers waste heat to raise the temperature. The water source heat pump system transfers heat from a low-temperature heat source to a high-temperature heat source by consuming a small amount of electricity, thereby improving the quality of the heat energy.

[0035] Electric auxiliary heater 2: Provides additional heating power when the temperature of the heat storage tank is insufficient or during off-peak electricity hours.

[0036] High-temperature heat storage tank 3: Stores the heat after heating in the form of high-pressure hot water. The heat storage system has high thermal efficiency and the heat storage temperature can be adjusted as needed to ensure effective heat storage.

[0037] Low-temperature heat storage tank 4: Provides heat storage for return water, ensuring the temperature and pressure of water circulation;

[0038] Heat exchanger 5: Uses high-pressure hot water to intermittently heat the waste nitrogen gas, providing heat for the regeneration of molecular sieves.

[0039] It should be noted that the heating system within heat exchanger 5 can employ either a plate heat exchanger or a shell-and-tube heat exchanger to ensure efficient heat transfer to the waste nitrogen gas. The air waste heat recovery unit 6 can be either a plate heat exchanger or a shell-and-tube heat exchanger.

[0040] In summary, the air waste heat recovery unit 6 replaces the traditional air cooler technology. By recovering the waste heat of the high-temperature air from the compressor, it reduces the amount of circulating water cooling and obtains waste heat for use as a system heat source, realizing the recovery and utilization of low-grade heat, effectively utilizing the waste heat of the air separation compressor's circulating water, and improving energy utilization efficiency.

[0041] Secondly, by utilizing the waste heat from the air waste heat recovery unit 6 and the efficient heat generation from the heat pump 1, efficient heating is achieved, reducing the energy consumption of the traditional molecular sieve electric auxiliary heater 2 for steam heating. As a result, compared with traditional steam or electric heating, the efficiency of the heat pump 1 can be increased to over 2.0, and the overall energy consumption of the system is reduced by more than 50%.

[0042] Furthermore, by alternating the storage of hot water in the high-temperature heat storage tank 3 and the low-temperature heat storage tank 4, the energy storage capacity of the system can be realized. By utilizing peak-valley electricity difference and other regulation methods, low-cost energy can be further utilized to improve the economic efficiency of the system.

[0043] Furthermore, the heat storage system composed of heat pump 1, electric auxiliary heater 2 and high-temperature heat storage tank 3 can store heat during off-peak electricity prices and utilize peak heat distribution during peak electricity prices to achieve energy storage and improve the system's economic efficiency.

[0044] As a further embodiment of this utility model, combined with Figure 1 It can be seen that the output end of the cooler 8 is connected to the warm water input end of the air waste heat recovery unit 6. That is to say, the air waste heat recovery unit 6 exchanges heat between the warm water supplied by the cooler 8 and the hot air drawn in by the exhaust fan, thereby making the water input to the heat pump 1 reach the appropriate temperature.

[0045] As a further embodiment of this utility model, the device also includes a control system 7, which includes a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow sensor, and a solenoid valve, wherein:

[0046] Temperature sensors are used to acquire the output, input, and internal temperatures of heat pump 1, electric auxiliary heater 2, high-temperature heat storage tank 3, low-temperature heat storage tank 4, heat exchanger 5, air waste heat recovery unit 6, and condenser 8.

[0047] Pressure sensors are used to detect the internal pressure of the high-temperature heat storage tank 3 and the low-temperature heat storage tank 4.

[0048] The flow sensor is used to collect the liquid flow rate at the output and input ends of the heat pump 1, electric auxiliary heater 2, high temperature heat storage tank 3, low temperature heat storage tank 4, heat exchanger 5, air waste heat recovery unit 6, and condenser 8.

[0049] It should be noted that the electronic components and control programs of the above-mentioned control system 7 are all common technical knowledge to those skilled in the art, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0050] Working principle:

[0051] The high-temperature gas discharged from air compressor 9 enters air waste heat recovery unit 6 to exchange heat with circulating water, transferring heat to the circulating water. The circulating water then enters heat pump 1, where it is heated to 120°C. The heated water is further heated to 170°C by electric auxiliary heater 2 or steam heating, and then stored in high-temperature heat storage tank 3. When the molecular sieve regeneration system requires heat, control system 7 controls high-pressure hot water to heat the passing waste nitrogen gas through heat exchanger 5, providing heat for molecular sieve regeneration. Throughout the process, control system 7 adjusts the operating status of each system in real time based on parameters detected by temperature, pressure, and flow sensors to ensure stable operation of the device.

[0052] The air compressor 9 has an exhaust temperature of 120℃ and an exhaust pressure of 0.8MPa. The heat pump 1 has a COP of 2.2. Furthermore, the high-temperature heat storage tank 3 has a volume of 1m³. 3 .

[0053] The foregoing description only illustrates certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Undoubtedly, those skilled in the art can modify the described embodiments in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the above drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing waste heat from an air compressor, characterized in that, include: The heat storage system consists of a heat pump (1), an electric auxiliary heater (2), and a high-temperature heat storage tank (3) coupled in sequence; The heat exchanger (5) has its input end fixedly connected to the output end of the high-temperature heat storage tank (3), and its output end is fixedly connected to the low-temperature heat storage tank (4). The output end of the low-temperature heat storage tank (4) is connected to the first input end of the heat pump (1). The air waste heat recovery unit (6) has its warm water output end connected to the second input end of the heat pump (1).

2. The molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing waste heat from an air compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first solenoid valve is fixedly connected to the pipeline between the input end of the heat exchanger (5) and the output end of the high-temperature heat storage tank (3).

3. The molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing waste heat from an air compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that, A second solenoid valve is fixedly connected to the pipeline between the output end of the heat exchanger (5) and the input end of the low-temperature heat storage tank (4).

4. The molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing waste heat from an air compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an exhaust fan, the output end of which is fixedly connected to the input end of the air waste heat recovery unit (6), and a third solenoid valve is fixedly connected in the pipeline between the two. The exhaust fan is used to collect the heat generated by the operation of the air compressor (9).

5. A molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing waste heat from an air compressor according to claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes an air compressor (9) and a cooler (8), the input end of which is fixedly connected to the output end of the air compressor (9), and a fourth solenoid valve is fixedly connected to the pipeline between them.

6. A molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing waste heat from an air compressor according to claim 5, characterized in that, The output end of the cooler (8) is connected to the warm water input end of the air waste heat recovery unit (6).

7. A molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing waste heat from an air compressor according to claim 6, characterized in that, The cooler (8) includes an input terminal for circulating water access.

8. A molecular sieve regeneration heating device utilizing waste heat from an air compressor according to claim 7, characterized in that, The air waste heat recovery unit (6) is either a plate heat exchanger or a shell-and-tube heat exchanger.

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