Compressed-air dehumidification device system

Abstract

To provide a compressed-air dehumidification device system that can more easily and effectively utilize cold of drain discharged from a compressed-air dehumidification device to enhance energy efficiency relating to dehumidifying compressed air.SOLUTION: The compressed-air dehumidification device system comprises: an air compressor 10 that suctions air and discharges compressed air; a refrigeration cycle device 20 equipped with a compressor 21, a condenser 22, an inflation valve 23, and an evaporator 24; and a compressed-air dehumidification device 30 in which the evaporator 24 of the refrigeration cycle device 20 is installed inside a dehumidification device housing 31 that dehumidifies and discharges compressed air introduced from the air compressor 10 and which is provided with a drain discharge pipe 40 extended to the outside as a passage through which drain water that is aggregate of dew condensation generated inside the dehumidification device housing 31. A cooler 60 for the condenser that is constituted by arranging an extending part 41 of the drain discharge pipe in a manner to be in contact with an upper part side of a heat exchange part 22a for the condenser so as to cool the upper part side of the heat exchange part 22a for a condenser of the condenser 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a compressed air dehumidifier system including: an air compressor that takes in air and discharges compressed air; a refrigeration cycle device having a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator; and a compressed air dehumidifier in which a dehumidifier housing is provided to dehumidify the primary compressed air introduced from the air compressor by heat exchange and discharge the dehumidified secondary compressed air, the evaporator of the refrigeration cycle device is installed inside the dehumidifier housing so as to dehumidify the compressed air by cooling it and condensing the moisture in the compressed air, and a drain discharge pipe extended to the outside is provided as a passage for discharging drain water, which is a collection of condensation generated inside the dehumidifier housing. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional compressed air dehumidifier proposed by the present applicant is one in which high-temperature, high-pressure air discharged from an air compressor is cooled and dehumidified using a cooler in a refrigeration cycle to produce cooled and dehumidified compressed air, which is then reheated and supplied to the outside of the device. The compressed air dehumidifier is equipped with an aftercooler in which the high-temperature compressed air exchanges heat with the cooled and dehumidified compressed air, a primary heat exchanger in which the high-temperature compressed air precooled in the aftercooler exchanges heat with the cooled and dehumidified compressed air, and a secondary heat exchanger in which the high-temperature discharge gas refrigerant from the refrigeration cycle exchanges heat with the cooled and dehumidified compressed air, and is configured so that the cooled and dehumidified compressed air is reheated in the primary heat exchanger, secondary heat exchanger and aftercooler before being supplied (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] The present applicant has also proposed a conventional compressed air dehumidifier system that includes a refrigeration cycle having a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, a secondary cooling unit in which the evaporator is disposed and which exchanges heat between the compressed air to be dehumidified and the refrigerant in the evaporator to cool the compressed air, and a second heat exchange unit (cooler and condenser) that is disposed at a predetermined position (in this example, the position of the condenser) between the refrigerant outlet of the compressor in the refrigerant flow path in which the refrigerant circulates in the refrigeration cycle and the expansion valve in the refrigerant flow path, and that cools the refrigerant by exchanging heat between drain water generated in a compressed air supply system configured to include the compressed air dehumidification system and the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle, and an expansion valve that adiabatically expands the drain water in the second heat exchange unit (see Patent Document 2). This can reduce the burden on the refrigeration cycle while improving the cooling efficiency of the compressed air in the heat exchanger.

[0004] The present applicant has also proposed a conventional vertically-mounted compressed air dehumidifier in which a heat exchanger is provided in two stages, a first heat exchanger section and a second heat exchanger section, the two heat exchanger sections being arranged vertically next to each other and built into an outer wall cylindrical body, the first small chamber being located below the two heat exchanger sections, into which the air outlet of the second heat exchanger section and the inlet of the reheating flow path are opened, the first small chamber being provided with a drain section at its lower end, a second small chamber being located above the two heat exchanger sections and for retaining the compressed air immediately before it is discharged, an extended air vent section being extended downward so that the air outlet of the second heat exchanger section is located below the inlet of the reheating flow path, and a demister being disposed at the lower end within the extended air vent section and through which the compressed air passes (see Patent Document 3).

[0005] The present applicant has also proposed a part of a drain discharge device connected to the drain discharge port of a compressed air dehumidifier, the drain discharge circuit device comprising: a drain discharge flow path that communicates with a drain outlet (drain discharge port) provided at the bottom of a drain receiving tank and guides drain liquid downward for discharge, a drain discharge on-off valve that opens and closes the drain discharge flow path, and a pressurized gas vent pipe that communicates between the gas space portion of the drain receiving tank and the pressurized gas reservoir portion of the drain discharge flow path and has one end port arranged in the gas space portion and the other end port arranged in the pressurized gas reservoir portion so as to vent the pressurized gas from the pressurized gas reservoir portion, and a drain tank is connected to a midway portion of the drain discharge flow path up to the drain discharge on-off valve as a portion that expands the flow path so that drain liquid can be stored on the side of the drain discharge on-off valve rather than the other end port of the pressurized gas vent pipe line (see Patent Document 4). This drain discharge circuit device is connected to a drain treatment machine equipped with, for example, a gas-liquid separation tank and an adsorption treatment tank (oil-water separator). In this drain treatment machine, for example, drain liquid (drain water) generated in a compressed air dehumidifier and pumped together with compressed air is introduced as water to be treated via the drain discharge circuit device, and the oil contained in the water to be treated is adsorbed in the oil-water separator for purification treatment.

[0006] Furthermore, the present applicant has proposed an example of a compressed air dehumidifier equipped with a conventional plate type heat exchanger, which includes a plate type heat exchanger having an air inlet, an air outlet, a drain outlet, a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet, and which dehumidifies the compressed air by condensing moisture contained in the compressed air by exchanging heat between the compressed air in a first space and the refrigerant in a second space, a control unit for controlling the operation of the refrigeration cycle, a lubricating oil discharge pipe for discharging the lubricating oil remaining in the second space into the refrigerant pipe, and a solenoid valve for adjusting the flow rate of fluid moving through the lubricating oil discharge pipe, and which executes a "first process" (see Patent Document 5) in which, when the control unit detects a predetermined high load state, it controls the solenoid valve to increase the flow rate of fluid moving through the lubricating oil discharge pipe. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Publication No. 61-95424 (Page 1) [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-101167 A (Page 1) [Patent Document 3] JP 2017-127801 A (Page 1) [Patent Document 4] JP 2019-55347 A (Page 1) [Patent Document 5] JP 2014-124565 A (Page 1) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The problem to be solved regarding compressed air dehumidifier systems is that although the invention of Patent Document 2 proposes utilizing the cold energy of the drain discharged from the compressed air dehumidifier to cool the condenser of the refrigeration cycle device, no simpler and more effective form of utilization has been proposed.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a compressed air dehumidifier system that can more simply and effectively utilize the cold heat of the drain discharged from a compressed air dehumidifier, thereby improving the energy efficiency related to compressed air dehumidification. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration. According to one embodiment of the compressed air dehumidifier system of the present invention, there is provided a compressed air dehumidifier system including an air compressor that draws in air and discharges compressed air, a refrigeration cycle device including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator, a dehumidifier housing in which the evaporator of the refrigeration cycle device is installed so as to cool the compressed air introduced from the air compressor and dehumidify the moisture in the compressed air by condensing it, and a compressed air dehumidifier provided with a drain discharge pipe extended to the outside as a passage for discharging drain water which is a collection of condensation generated inside the dehumidifier housing, in which the condenser of the refrigeration cycle device includes a condenser heat exchange section provided with a refrigerant piping running around so as to cause the refrigerant compressed from the compressor to flow from top to bottom as a whole, and a condenser cooling fan arranged to generate a cooling air flow for cooling the condenser heat exchange section, and a condenser cooler configured by arranging an extension of the drain discharge pipe in contact with an upper side of the condenser heat exchange section so as to cool the upper side of the condenser heat exchange section is provided.

[0011] In addition, according to one aspect of the compressed air dehumidifier system of the present invention, in the condenser cooler, a heat exchange fin is provided on an extension portion of the drain discharge pipe. Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the compressed air dehumidifier system of the present invention, a heat dissipation fin is provided on the refrigerant piping of the condenser heat exchange section, and an extension portion of the drain discharge pipe is incorporated so as to share the heat dissipation fin as the heat exchange fin, thereby allowing the condenser cooler to be provided integrally with the condenser. Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the compressed air dehumidifier system of the present invention, the extension portion of the drain discharge pipe is provided with a bypass flow path branched off so as to bypass a part or all of the condenser cooler, and a switching valve for switching the flow of drain water is provided at the branching portion of the bypass flow path.

[0012] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the compressed air dehumidifier system of the present invention, an intake cooler is provided in the flow path of air flowing into the air compressor inlet so as to cool the air being sucked into the air compressor, and the extension of the drain discharge pipe in the intake cooler is configured by a portion that is continuous with the extension of the drain discharge pipe of the condenser cooler and is downstream of the flow of drain water. In addition, according to one embodiment of the compressed air dehumidifier system of the present invention, in the intake cooler, a heat exchange fin is provided on an extension portion of the drain discharge pipe.

[0013] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the compressed air dehumidifier system of the present invention, the condenser cooler is arranged below the dehumidifier housing of the compressed air dehumidifier, and the intake section cooler is arranged below the condenser cooler. Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the compressed air dehumidifier system of the present invention, the extension of the drain discharge pipe is provided with a bypass flow path that branches off to bypass part or all of the intake section cooler, and a switching valve that switches the flow of drain water is provided at the branching portion of the bypass flow path.

[0014] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the compressed air dehumidifier system of the present invention, the compressed air dehumidifier is characterized in that the dehumidifier housing is provided to dehumidify primary-side compressed air introduced from the air compressor by heat exchange and discharge the dehumidified secondary-side compressed air, a heat exchanger is provided inside the dehumidifier housing in two stages, a first heat exchanger unit and a second heat exchanger unit, the first heat exchanger unit is provided by arranging a pre-cooling flow path for the primary-side compressed air and a reheating flow path for the secondary-side compressed air to intersect so as to pre-cool the primary-side compressed air and reheat the secondary-side compressed air, and the second heat exchanger unit is provided to dehumidify the compressed air pre-cooled in the first heat exchanger unit by cooling it with the evaporator to cause condensation. Effect of the Invention

[0015] The compressed air dehumidifier system of the present invention has the particularly advantageous effect of making it possible to more simply and effectively utilize the cold heat of the drain discharged from the compressed air dehumidifier, thereby improving the energy efficiency related to compressed air dehumidification. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a side schematic view showing an example of a compressed air dehumidifier system according to the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the embodiment of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a refrigerant piping (refrigerant circulation flow path) and an extension part (drain flow path) of a drain discharge pipe in the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a piping diagram showing a simplified drain passage (first example) of the embodiment of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a piping diagram showing a second example of a drain passage. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a piping diagram showing a third example of a drain passage. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a piping diagram showing a fourth example of a drain passage. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Next, an embodiment of a compressed air dehumidifier system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings (FIGS. 1 to 7). First, an invention relating to an intake cooler 50 for cooling air flowing into an intake port 11 of an air compressor will be described.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the compressed air dehumidifier system of this embodiment includes an air compressor 10 that draws in air and discharges compressed air, a refrigeration cycle device 20 that includes a compressor 21, a condenser 22, an expansion valve 23, and an evaporator 24, and a compressed air dehumidifier 30. In this embodiment, these components are integrally arranged as a system. The structure of the air compressor 10 is not particularly limited, and a compression type related to a rotary pump or a claw pump can be used as appropriate.

[0019] In this embodiment, the compressed air dehumidifier 30 dehumidifies the primary compressed air introduced from the air compressor 10 by heat exchange, and is provided with a dehumidifier housing 31 to discharge the dehumidified secondary compressed air. The evaporator 24 (see Figure 3) of the refrigeration cycle device 20 is installed inside the dehumidifier housing 31 to cool the compressed air and dehumidify it by condensing the moisture in the compressed air, and a drain discharge pipe 40 is provided extending to the outside as a passage for discharging drain water, which is a collection of condensation formed inside the dehumidifier housing 31.

[0020] In the compressed air dehumidifier system of this embodiment, an intake cooler 50 is provided, which is configured by arranging an extension 41 (see FIG. 3) of a drain discharge pipe in a flow path 11a (see FIG. 1) of air flowing into an intake port 11 of the air compressor so as to cool the air drawn into the air compressor 10. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the middle part of the extended drain discharge pipe 40 is a component of the intake cooler 50. As shown in FIG. 2, 16 is a switchboard, and as shown in FIG. 3, 42 is a drain discharge opening / closing valve.

[0021] According to this compressed air dehumidifier system, the cold energy of the drain discharged from the compressed air dehumidifier 30 can be effectively utilized to cool the air (intake air) drawn into the air compressor 10, improving compression efficiency and thereby increasing energy efficiency related to air compression. For example, by lowering the temperature of the air (intake air temperature) drawn into the air compressor 10 by 5°C, the power consumption of the electric motor 12a that drives the air compressor 10 can be reduced by about 1%.

[0022] In this embodiment, the intake cooler 50 is provided with heat exchange fins 41a on the extension 41 of the drain discharge pipe. This improves the cooling performance of the intake cooler 50, and allows the air sucked into the air compressor 10 to be efficiently cooled.

[0023] In this embodiment, the intake cooler 50 is disposed below the dehumidifier housing 31 of the compressed air dehumidifier 30. (Note that the lower side (lower, lower end, lower part) refers to the lower side (lower, lower end, lower part) in the vertical direction. Similarly, the upper side (upper, upper end, upper part) described later refers to the upper side (upper, upper end, upper part) in the vertical direction.) This allows the drain outlet 39 provided at the lower end of the dehumidifier housing 31 where drain water accumulates, the drain outlet 39, the drain outlet pipe 40 extending from the drain outlet 39, and the extension part 41 to be continuously arranged from top to bottom in that order, and the drain water can flow smoothly with gravity. This prevents the drain water from stagnating, and the intake cooler 50 through which the drain water passes can efficiently cool the air sucked into the air compressor 10.

[0024] Further, as an example of the configuration of the extension portion 41 of the drain discharge pipe according to the present invention, a bypass flow path 51 is branched so as to bypass a part or the whole of the intake cooler 50, and a switching valve 52 for switching the flow of drain water is provided at the branching portion of the bypass flow path 51. The switching valve 52 in the example shown in FIG. 3 or 4 is a three-way valve. In addition, in the bypass flow path 51 in the example shown in FIG. 3 or 4, the branched bypass flow path 51 is piped so as to merge again downstream of the extension portion 41 of the drain discharge pipe in the intake cooler 50 so as to bypass a part of the intake cooler 50. According to this, in a case where the air sucked by the air compressor 10 is low in temperature and does not need to be cooled, such as in winter, the drain water can be appropriately discharged using the bypass flow path 51.

[0025] In one embodiment of the compressed air dehumidifier 30 according to the present invention, a heat exchanger is provided in two stages, a first heat exchanger section and a second heat exchanger section, inside the dehumidifier housing 31, and the first heat exchanger section is provided by arranging a pre-cooling flow path for the primary side compressed air and a re-heating flow path for the secondary side compressed air to intersect so as to pre-cool the primary side compressed air and re-heat the secondary side compressed air, and the second heat exchanger section is provided to cool the compressed air pre-cooled in the first heat exchanger section in an evaporator 24, thereby causing condensation and dehumidifying the compressed air.

[0026] According to this, the compressed air dehumidifier 30 in which the heat exchanger is provided in two stages, that is, the first heat exchanger section and the second heat exchanger section, can be suitably applied to the compressed air dehumidifier system according to the present invention. Examples of the compressed air dehumidifier 30 in which the heat exchanger is provided in two stages include cylindrical dehumidifiers as described in the above Patent Documents 1 to 3 and a plate-type dehumidifier as described in the above Patent Document 5.

[0027] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described, which relates to a condenser cooler 60 for cooling the condenser 22 of the refrigeration cycle device 20. The basic configuration of the present invention includes the above-mentioned air compressor 10, the refrigeration cycle device 20, and the compressed air dehumidifier 30.

[0028] In the compressed air dehumidifier system of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1 to 3, the condenser 22 of the refrigeration cycle device 20 includes a condenser heat exchanger 22a arranged around a refrigerant pipe 25 so that the refrigerant pumped from the compressor 21 flows from top to bottom as a whole, a condenser cooling fan 22b arranged to generate a cooling air flow for cooling the condenser heat exchanger 22a, and a condenser cooler 60 is provided in which an extension part 41 of a drain discharge pipe is arranged in contact with the upper side of the condenser heat exchanger 22a so as to cool the upper side of the condenser heat exchanger 22a. Note that the condenser heat exchanger 22a of this embodiment is provided thin in the flow direction of the cooling air flow compared to the size of the opening through which the cooling air flow passes, and is installed in an upright form so that heat exchange is efficiently performed with the horizontally flowing cooling air (cooling air flow) generated by the condenser cooling fan 22b, which is an axial flow fan with a horizontally arranged rotation axis.

[0029] According to this compressed air dehumidifier system, the cold energy of the drain discharged from the compressed air dehumidifier 30 can be more effectively utilized, and the energy efficiency related to the compressed air dehumidification can be improved. That is, according to this, in the refrigerant flow path provided by the refrigerant pipe 25 constituting the condenser heat exchanger 22a, the condenser cooler 60 is provided in the upstream part of the flow path. Therefore, the upstream part is a part through which a refrigerant with a higher temperature and pressure passes, and the temperature difference with the drain water passing through the extension part 41 of the drain discharge pipe becomes large. Therefore, the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the drain water is effectively performed, and the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe 25 can be effectively cooled, and the condensation efficiency can be improved. As a result, the energy consumption related to the refrigeration cycle device 20 can be reduced, and the energy efficiency related to the compressed air dehumidification can be improved. In addition, if the condenser 22 is not sufficiently cooled, the air dryer (compressed air dehumidifier 30) may stop the system for the purpose of protecting the compressor due to an increase in the condensation temperature (pressure), but according to this invention, this can be avoided as much as possible and continuous operation can be performed.

[0030] Furthermore, according to this, when there is a possibility of freezing of the drain discharge pipe 40 and its extension 41, such as when the outside air temperature is low and the discharge amount of compressed air as product air (output as a system) is low, the freezing can be prevented by heat dissipation from the condenser 22 (the upper side of the condenser heat exchanger 22a). This also enables the compressed air dehumidifier 30 to continue operating properly.

[0031] In this embodiment, the condenser cooler 60 is provided with heat exchange fins 41a on the extension 41 of the drain discharge pipe. This makes it easier to transfer the cold heat of the drain water to the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant pipe 25 of the condenser 22 (upper side of the condenser heat exchange section 22a). This makes it possible to more efficiently exchange heat between the refrigerant and the drain water, and more effectively cool the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe 25, thereby improving the condensation efficiency. This reduces the energy consumption related to the refrigeration cycle device 20 and improves the energy efficiency related to compressed air dehumidification.

[0032] In this embodiment, the refrigerant pipe 25 of the condenser heat exchanger 22a is provided with the radiating fins 22c, and the extension 41 of the drain discharge pipe is incorporated so as to use the radiating fins 22c as heat exchange fins as well, so that the condenser cooler 60 is provided integrally with the condenser 22. This allows the condenser cooler 60 and the condenser 22 to be configured compactly, and the efficiency of heat exchange can be improved, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the refrigeration cycle device 20. Note that the present invention is not limited to this arrangement, and for example, the condenser cooler 60 and the condenser heat exchanger 22a may be arranged side by side in the flow direction of the cooling air flow, and the condenser cooler 60 may be arranged upstream of the condenser heat exchanger 22a in the cooling air flow. This also allows the condenser cooler 60 to cool the condenser heat exchanger 22a.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5, the extension 41 of the drain discharge pipe is provided with a bypass flow path 61 that bypasses the condenser cooler 60 in part or in whole, and a switching valve 62 for switching the flow of drain water may be provided at the branch of the bypass flow path 61. The switching valve 62 in this embodiment is a three-way valve, and the bypass flow path 61 in this embodiment is piped so as to bypass the condenser cooler 60 in whole. This allows the drain water to be appropriately discharged using the bypass flow path 61 in cases where it is not necessary to cool the condenser heat exchange section 22a, such as in winter or at low output. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the extension 41 further beyond the extension 41 of the drain discharge pipe of the condenser cooler 60 is provided with a bypass flow path 51 that branches off so as to bypass the intake section cooler 50 in part or in whole, and a switching valve 52 for switching the flow of drain water is provided at the branch of the bypass flow path 51.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the intake cooler 50 is provided. The extension 41 of the drain discharge pipe in the intake cooler 50 is configured by a portion that is continuous with the extension 41 of the drain discharge pipe of the condenser cooler 60 and is downstream of the flow of drain water. In addition, in the intake cooler 50, the extension 41 of the drain discharge pipe is provided with heat exchange fins 41a. In this way, by providing the intake cooler 50, the cold energy of the drain water can be suitably utilized to appropriately cool the air (intake air) sucked into the air compressor 10, and the above-mentioned effect can be achieved.

[0035] In this embodiment, the condenser cooler 60 is disposed below the dehumidifier housing 31 of the compressed air dehumidifier 30, and the intake cooler 50 is disposed below the condenser cooler 60. This allows the drain outlet 39 provided at the lower end of the dehumidifier housing 31 where drain water accumulates, the drain outlet 39, the drain pipe 40 extending from the drain outlet 39, the portion above the extension 41 of the drain pipe passing through the condenser cooler 60, and the portion below the extension 41 of the drain pipe passing through the intake cooler 50 to be continuously arranged from top to bottom, allowing the drain water to flow smoothly with gravity. This prevents the drain water from stagnating, so that the condenser can be efficiently cooled by the condenser cooler 60 through which the drain water passes, and the intake cooler 50 can efficiently cool the air sucked into the air compressor 10.

[0036] Furthermore, the installation form of the bypass flow paths 51, 61 and the switching valves 52, 62 is not limited to the embodiment shown in Figs. 3 to 5, and as described above, for example, the drain discharge pipe extension portion 41 may be arranged in parallel as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. That is, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the drain discharge pipe extension portion 41 is branched into a piping portion for cooling the intake section cooler 50 and a piping portion for cooling the condenser cooler 60, and the switching valves 52, 62 can be open / close valves or flow control valves. According to this, for example, if the switching valve 52 is opened and the switching valve 62 is closed, only the intake section cooler 50 can be cooled and the condenser cooler 60 can be bypassed. Also, if the switching valve 52 is closed and the switching valve 62 is opened, the intake section cooler 50 can be bypassed and only the condenser cooler 60 can be cooled. 7, the extension 41 of the drain discharge pipe is branched into a piping section having a bypass flow path 51 for cooling the intake cooler 50 and a piping section having a bypass flow path 61 for cooling the condenser cooler 60, and the changeover valves 52 and 62 can be three-way valves. According to this, the intake cooler 50 and the condenser cooler 60 can be appropriately bypassed by operating the changeover valve 52 and the changeover valve 62. In this way, there are various variations in the flow path related to the extension 41 of the drain discharge pipe, and by appropriately and selectively setting it, the cold energy of the drain water can be appropriately utilized according to the use conditions.

[0037] Furthermore, for the compressed air dehumidifier system of the invention relating to this condenser cooler 60, the compressed air dehumidifier 30 in which the above-mentioned heat exchanger is provided in two stages, a first heat exchanger section and a second heat exchanger section, can be appropriately used.

[0038] Next, an invention relating to a simple and rational configuration for heating the compressed air discharged from a compressed air dehumidifier will be described. Note that the basic configuration of this invention includes an air compressor 10 and a compressed air dehumidifier 30.

[0039] The air compressor 10 of this embodiment is an air compressor that takes in air and discharges compressed air, and is provided with an aftercooler 14 connected to a compressed air discharge port 13 of an air compressor body 12 in order to cool the discharged compressed air, and an aftercooler cooling fan 15 arranged to cool the aftercooler 14.

[0040] The compressed air dehumidifier 30 of this embodiment is provided in a dehumidifier housing 31 having a compressed air inlet 32 ​​through which compressed air is introduced from the air compressor 10 and a compressed air outlet 34 through which dehumidified compressed air is discharged, and is provided to circulate a cooling medium to condense moisture in the compressed air and dehumidify the compressed air. In this embodiment, the compressed air passes through an inlet pipe 33 connected to the compressed air inlet 32 ​​from the aftercooler 14 and is introduced into the dehumidifier housing 31. Note that, as in this embodiment, the evaporator 24 of the refrigeration cycle device 20 is disposed inside the dehumidifier housing 31, and thus the dehumidification of the compressed air is not limited to this, and the compressed air can also be dehumidified by cooling water (cooling medium) introduced from a cooling water source.

[0041] According to the compressed air dehumidifier system of this embodiment, the compressed air outlet extension flow path 35 (outlet piping) extended from the compressed air outlet 34 is disposed downstream of the exhaust heat air flow (exhaust air) generated by the aftercooler cooling fan 15 so that the compressed air discharged from the compressed air dehumidifier 30 is heated by the exhaust heat of the air compressor.

[0042] According to this compressed air dehumidifier system, the compressed air discharged from the compressed air dehumidifier 30 can be effectively heated with a simpler configuration, and energy efficiency can be improved. That is, the compressed air discharged to pneumatic equipment as product air can be heated by blowing the exhaust air from the aftercooler cooling fan 15 onto the compressed air outlet extension flow path that is extended from the compressed air outlet. Since the compressed air as product air can be heated in this way, the air volume of the compressed air can be increased to reduce the relative humidity, and the temperature of the exhaust air discharged outside the system by the aftercooler cooling fan 15 can be reduced. In addition, the compressed air outlet extension flow path 35 can be more simply configured with a flow path piping. In addition, when the compressed air outlet extension flow path 35 is configured with a flow path piping, heat exchange efficiency can be further improved by providing a heat exchange fin on the outside of the flow path piping.

[0043] In this embodiment, the aftercooler cooling fan 15 is disposed above the aftercooler 14, and the compressed air outlet extension flow path 35 is disposed above the aftercooler cooling fan 15. With this, the heat of the compressed air heated by compressing the air in the air compressor body 12 is exchanged by the aftercooler 14 and transferred to the outside air, and the direction of the rising air current of the outside air generated by the heating coincides with the direction of the exhaust air flow (air blown) generated by the aftercooler cooling fan 15, so that the air flows smoothly as exhaust air. This also allows for smooth heat exchange and improves energy efficiency.

[0044] In this embodiment, the air compressor body 12 that generates compressed air is disposed below the aftercooler 14. With this, the heat of the compressed air heated by compressing the air in the air compressor body 12 is transferred from the air compressor body 12 to the outside air, and the direction of the rising air current of the outside air caused by this heating coincides with the direction of the exhaust air flow (air blown) generated by the aftercooler cooling fan 15, and they flow smoothly as the merged exhaust air. This also allows for smooth heat exchange and improves energy efficiency.

[0045] In this embodiment, the refrigeration cycle device 20 includes the compressor 21, the condenser 22, the expansion valve 23, and the evaporator 24 as described above. The evaporator 24 of the refrigeration cycle device 20 is installed inside the dehumidification device housing 31 to cool the compressed air through a cooling medium. The compressed air outlet extension flow path 35 is disposed downstream of the exhaust heat air flow generated by the condenser cooling fan 22b of the condenser 22. In this manner, the exhaust air from the condenser cooling fan 22b can be directed to the compressed air outlet extension flow path 35 extended from the compressed air outlet 34 as shown by the dotted arrow in FIG. 1. As a result, the compressed air, which is the product air, can be suitably heated by utilizing the exhaust heat of the condenser 22, so that the air volume of the compressed air can be increased to reduce the relative humidity, and the temperature of the exhaust air exhausted to the outside of the system by the condenser cooling fan 22b can be reduced. This improves the energy efficiency of the system.

[0046] In this embodiment, the compressed air outlet extension passage 35 is disposed above the condenser cooling fan 22b. This allows the flow direction of the rising air current of the outside air generated by heating with the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant introduced into the condenser 22 and the flow direction of the air blown by the condenser cooling fan 22b to easily merge as exhaust air and flow smoothly. This also allows smooth heat exchange and improves energy efficiency. Furthermore, the condenser cooling fan 22b is not operated all the time, and the temperature of the exhaust air flow (dotted arrow in FIG. 1) by the condenser cooling fan 22b is lower than the temperature of the exhaust air flow by the aftercooler cooling fan 15. This allows the compressed air outlet extension passage 35 to be hit with high-temperature exhaust air as it moves downstream, so that heating can be performed efficiently through heat exchange.

[0047] Furthermore, for the compressed air dehumidifier system of the invention which heats the compressed air discharged from the compressed air dehumidifier 30, the compressed air dehumidifier 30 in which the above-mentioned heat exchanger is provided in two stages, a first heat exchanger section and a second heat exchanger section, can be appropriately used.

[0048] Although the present invention has been described above in various preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and it goes without saying that many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 10. Air Compressor 11 Air Intake 11a Air flow path 12 Air compressor body 12a Electric motor 13 Compressed air outlet 14 Aftercooler 15 Aftercooler cooling fan 16 Switchboard 20 Refrigeration cycle equipment 21 Compressor 22 Condenser 22a Condenser heat exchange section 22b Condenser cooling fan 22c Heat sink fin 23 Expansion valve 24 Evaporator 25 Refrigerant piping 30 Compressed air dehumidifier 31 Dehumidifier housing 32 Compressed air inlet 33 Inlet pipe 34 Compressed air outlet 35 Compressed air outlet extension channel 39 Drain outlet 40 Drain discharge pipe 41 Drain discharge pipe extension 41a Heat exchange fin 42 Drain discharge opening and closing valve 50 Intake Cooler 51 Bypass flow path 52 Switching valve 60 Condenser Cooler 61 Bypass flow path 62 Switching valve

Claims

1. an air compressor that draws in air and discharges compressed air; A refrigeration cycle device including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator; a dehumidifier housing in which the evaporator of the refrigeration cycle device is installed so as to cool the compressed air introduced from the air compressor and dehumidify the compressed air by condensing moisture in the compressed air; and a compressed air dehumidifier provided with a drain discharge pipe extended to the outside as a passage for discharging drain water which is a collection of condensation generated inside the dehumidifier housing, The condenser of the refrigeration cycle device includes a condenser heat exchanger having a refrigerant piping arranged around the condenser so that the refrigerant pumped from the compressor flows from top to bottom as a whole, and a condenser cooling fan arranged to generate a cooling air flow for cooling the condenser heat exchanger, A compressed air dehumidifier system, comprising: a condenser cooler configured by arranging an extension of the drain discharge pipe in contact with an upper side of the condenser heat exchange section so as to cool the upper side of the condenser heat exchange section.

2. 2. The compressed air dehumidifier system according to claim 1, wherein a heat exchange fin is provided on an extension of the drain discharge pipe in the condenser cooler.

3. 3. The compressed air dehumidifier system according to claim 2, characterized in that a heat dissipation fin is provided on the refrigerant piping of the condenser heat exchange section, and an extension of the drain discharge pipe is incorporated so that the heat dissipation fin is also used as the heat exchange fin, thereby forming the condenser cooler integral with the condenser.

4. 2. The compressed air dehumidifier system according to claim 1, wherein an extension of the drain discharge pipe is provided with a bypass flow path branched off so as to bypass a part or all of the condenser cooler, and a switching valve for switching the flow of drain water is provided at the branching portion of the bypass flow path.

5. The compressed air dehumidifier system according to claim 1, characterized in that an intake cooler formed by arranging an extension of the drain discharge pipe in a flow path of air flowing into an intake port for the air compressor so as to cool the air sucked into the air compressor, and the extension of the drain discharge pipe in the intake cooler is configured by a portion that is continuous with the extension of the drain discharge pipe of the condenser cooler and is downstream of the flow of drain water.

6. 6. The compressed air dehumidifier system according to claim 5, wherein a heat exchange fin is provided on an extension of the drain discharge pipe in the intake cooler.

7. The compressed air dehumidifier system according to claim 5, characterized in that the condenser cooler is arranged below the dehumidifier housing of the compressed air dehumidifier, and the intake section cooler is arranged below the condenser cooler.

8. The compressed air dehumidifier system according to claim 5, characterized in that the extension of the drain discharge pipe is branched off to form a bypass flow path that bypasses part or all of the intake cooler, and a switching valve that switches the flow of drain water is provided at the branching point of the bypass flow path.

9. The compressed air dehumidifier system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the dehumidifier housing is provided to dehumidify the primary-side compressed air introduced from the air compressor by heat exchange and discharge the dehumidified secondary-side compressed air, a heat exchanger is provided inside the dehumidifier housing in two stages, a first heat exchanger unit and a second heat exchanger unit, the first heat exchanger unit is provided by arranging a pre-cooling flow path for the primary-side compressed air and a reheating flow path for the secondary-side compressed air so as to pre-cool the primary-side compressed air and reheat the secondary-side compressed air so as to intersect, and the second heat exchanger unit is provided to cool the compressed air pre-cooled in the first heat exchanger unit with the evaporator to cause condensation and dehumidify the compressed air.

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