Compressed air pressure circuit system

Abstract

To provide a compressed air pressure circuit system capable of improving the quality of compressed air by reducing the influence of drain accumulated in corner parts from a horizontal pipe to an up pipe and from a down pipe to the horizontal pipe.SOLUTION: A compressed-air pressure circuit system 1 includes a horizontal pipe 10C through which compressed-air delivered from an air dryer 4 passes, an up pipe 11 connected to the horizontal pipe 10C, an upper pipe 12 connected to the up pipe 11, a down pipe 13 connected to the upper pipe 12, and a horizontal pipe 14 through which the compressed-air in the down pipe 13 flows to a subsequent-stage device. A first steam-water separator 5 is disposed at a connecting portion between the horizontal pipe 10C and the up pipe 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a compressed air pressure circuit system, and more particularly to a compressed air pressure circuit system that improves the quality of compressed air sent through an air dryer. [Background technology]

[0002] In factories and other facilities that use compressed air, the majority of piping from the air compressor is arranged as a combination of ascending, horizontal, and descending piping. In addition, when the distance to the compressed air-using equipment is long, the piping is often routed near the ceiling. Even if an air dryer is installed immediately after the compressor to dehumidify and lower the condensation temperature, drainage may occur in the piping depending on the temperature of the installation location. The amount of drainage generated varies depending on the ambient temperature and the length and diameter of the piping. In particular, the accumulated drainage can concentrate at the corners between the horizontal pipe and the ascending pipe, and between the descending pipe and the horizontal pipe, temporarily blocking the inside of the pipe. This can cause a momentary drop in pressure in the downstream part of the pipe, which can cause malfunctions or other problems with compressed air equipment. Therefore, there was a need for technology to reduce the impact of drainage that accumulates in the corners of the pipes, from horizontal piping to ascending piping and from descending piping to horizontal piping, in compressed air pressure circuit systems, and to improve the quality of compressed air.

[0003] In order to solve the above problem, the present applicant has proposed a technical solution as described in Patent Document 1. That is, the technical solution in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a steam-water separator is disposed at the portion where compressed air enters the loop pipe, and is an effective technical solution for preventing liquid from accumulating in the loop pipe. However, this technical proposal does not address the issue of drainage in the horizontal pipe and the ascending pipe from the air compressor, and does not solve the above problem.

[0004] The applicant focused on steam-water separators that separate gas and drainage by centrifugal separation, and came up with the idea of ​​whether it might be possible to separate and remove drainage that occurs in the corners of pipes, from horizontal piping to ascending piping and from descending piping to horizontal piping, before it accumulates. By placing steam-water separators in appropriate locations in the piping, the applicant developed a compressed air pressure circuit system that can separate and remove drainage that may occur in the piping, and has come to propose the "compressed air pressure circuit system" of the present invention. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-22114 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a compressed air pressure circuit system that can reduce the effects of drainage that accumulates in the corners of the pipes, from the horizontal pipe to the ascending pipe and from the descending pipe to the horizontal pipe, thereby improving the quality of the compressed air. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a compressed air circuit system comprising a horizontal pipe through which compressed air sent out from an air dryer passes, an ascending pipe that causes the compressed air in the horizontal pipe to flow upward, an upper pipe connected to the ascending pipe, a descending pipe connected to the upper pipe, and a horizontal pipe that causes the compressed air in the descending pipe to flow to downstream equipment, and employs means in which a first steam-water separator is disposed at the connection between the horizontal pipe and the ascending pipe, and a second steam-water separator is disposed below the descending pipe.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention employs a means for allowing compressed air to flow into the first steam-water separator horizontally and flow out vertically.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention employs a means in which the horizontal pipe has a downward slope from the air dryer to the first steam-water separator.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention employs a means in which the upper pipe is a curved pipe with one lowest point at the position where the ascending pipe is connected and the other lowest point at the position where the descending pipe is connected.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention employs the means whereby the upper tube is an annular tube.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention employs a means for allowing compressed air to flow into the second steam-water separator vertically and flow out horizontally.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention employs a means for connecting the ascending and descending pipes to the sides of the upper pipe. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the compressed air pressure circuit system of the present invention, even when the compressed air pressure circuit system includes an ascending pipe, a horizontal pipe, and a descending pipe, the effects of drain accumulation can be reduced and the quality of the compressed air can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a compressed air pressure circuit system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a compressed air pressure circuit system according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a problem in a conventional configuration of a compressed air pressure circuit system according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the compressed air pressure circuit system according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The compressed air pressure circuit system according to the present invention is most characterized in that steam-water separators are disposed at the connection between the horizontal pipe and the ascending pipe and below the descending pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a compressed air circuit system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The compressed air circuit system according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, but can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, i.e., within the scope of shapes, dimensions, materials, etc. that can achieve the same effects.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a compressed air pressure circuit system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a compressed air pressure circuit system according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a defect in the conventional configuration of the compressed air circuit system according to the present invention, where (a) shows a defect at the connection between the horizontal pipe and the ascending pipe, and (b) shows a defect at the connection between the descending pipe and the horizontal pipe. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing modified examples of the compressed air pressure circuit system 1 according to the present invention, in which (a) shows an example in which the horizontal pipe to the first steam-water separator is inclined, (b) shows an example in which the upper pipe is a curved pipe, and (c) shows a modified example of the second steam-water separator.

[0018] The compressed air pressure circuit system 1 is composed of a first steam-water separator 5, a second steam-water separator 6, and piping through which compressed air is supplied, namely a horizontal pipe 10, an upstream pipe 11, an upper pipe 12, a downstream pipe 13, and a horizontal pipe 14 (hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as "various piping"). The compressed air pressure circuit system 1 is also equipped with an air compressor 2 that generates compressed air and sends it into various pipes, and an air dryer 4 that dries the compressed air sent through a horizontal pipe 10, and compressed air utilization equipment is connected to the downstream of the compressed air pressure circuit system 1 through a horizontal pipe 14. Furthermore, a filter 7 is disposed in the compressed air pressure circuit as needed, and a drain trap 8 is disposed in each device, filter 7, steam separator, etc.

[0019] The air compressor 2 is a device that compresses atmospheric air to generate compressed air and sends it to the subsequent stage. There are various types of air compressors 2, such as reciprocating, rotary, centrifugal, and axial flow types, depending on the structure for generating compressed air. Furthermore, among these various types, there are oil-supplied types that use lubricating oil and oil-free types that do not use lubricating oil. The air compressor 2 draws in atmospheric air through an air intake port, increases the pressure to a predetermined level (e.g., 0.7 MPa), and compresses it. Because atmospheric air contains water vapor and foreign matter suspended in the air, the compressed air discharged from the air compressor 2 naturally contains water vapor and foreign matter. The compressed air generated by the air compressor 2 is sent to the air tank 3 via the horizontal pipe 10A.

[0020] The air tank 3 is a tank that temporarily stores compressed air and then sends the air to a subsequent stage. The air tank 3 is a tank for temporarily storing compressed air generated by the air compressor 2, and is disposed downstream of the air compressor 2 via a horizontal pipe 10A. Providing such an air tank 3 stabilizes the pressure of the compressed air being sent, helps to suppress the water hammer effect of the fluid (compressed air) when the air compressor 2 starts or stops, and helps to reduce the load on the air dryer 4 and compressed air-using equipment connected downstream. The temporarily stored compressed air is then sent to the air dryer 4 via the horizontal pipe 10B.

[0021] The air dryer 4 is a device that cools the compressed air sent from the air tank 3 using the latent heat of evaporation of the refrigerant, condenses the moisture contained in the compressed air, and removes it as drain. The air dryer 4 may be of a refrigeration type, hollow fiber membrane type, adsorption type, or the like, depending on the moisture removal method. The air dryer 4 used in the present invention may be of any of the refrigeration type, hollow fiber membrane type, and adsorption type, and is not particularly limited, but the most commonly used is a refrigeration type air dryer. A refrigeration type air dryer is a device that uses the latent heat of evaporation of a refrigerant to cool the compressed air A and condense and remove the contained moisture, and is therefore preferable because it can be introduced relatively inexpensively. Then, the compressed air from which moisture has been removed by the air dryer 4 is sent to the first steam-water separator 5 via the horizontal pipe 10C.

[0022] The first steam-water separator 5 and the second steam-water separator 6 are devices that separate water droplets and foreign matter contained in the compressed air sent from the air dryer 4 and the like by centrifugal force, and send the air to the subsequent stage. As described above, the compressed air generated by the air compressor 2 contains foreign matter such as moisture, dust, and oil droplets contained in the air (hereinafter simply referred to as "foreign matter"). The compressed air that flows into the steam-water separator swirls at high speed through a flow path formed by a blade-shaped or spiral structure, and foreign matter is separated and removed using the principle of centrifugal separation before being sent to the subsequent stage. The foreign matter separated from the compressed air by the steam-water separator collides with the inner wall of the steam-water separator. It then hangs down due to gravity and is appropriately discharged to the outside through drain trap 8. The specific structure of the steam-water separator may be a cyclone separator structure using a conventionally known technique. When the air-water separator is a cyclone separator, foreign matter contained in the compressed air can be efficiently separated and removed by a centrifugal separation mechanism, thereby achieving the excellent effect of improving the quality of the compressed air sent to the subsequent stage while suppressing pressure loss.

[0023] While a typical steam-water separator has both its input and output connected to horizontal pipes, the first steam-water separator 5 has a structure in which air enters from a horizontal pipe 10, which is horizontal, and exits from an upflow pipe 11, which is vertical, i.e., it is a horizontal input x vertical output type (Figs. 1 and 2). With this structure, the first steam-water separator 5 is used at the connection point from the horizontal pipe 10 to the ascending pipe 11, thereby eliminating one bend in the pipe. This avoids one pressure loss due to a bend in the pipe, and reduces the overall pressure loss. The second steam-water separator 6 is of a type in which both the input and output are connected to horizontal pipes, i.e., a horizontal input x horizontal output type, and is disposed in a position close to the connection point of the horizontal pipe 14, which is in the horizontal direction, with the downflow pipe 13 (Figs. 1 and 2). Since most of the drain generated at the connection point between the down-flow pipe 13 and the horizontal pipe 14 will remain inside the horizontal pipe 14, the second steam-water separator 6 is installed at the above position in order to remove it.

[0024] The drain trap 8 is provided on the refrigerated air dryer 4, the steam separator 10, and the filter 7 to discharge drain generated in each device such as the refrigerated air dryer. By providing the drain trap 8 at the bottom of the device, it becomes possible to efficiently discharge drain that hangs down due to gravity to the outside, and it also contributes to improving maintainability. The drain trap 8 may be, for example, an electromagnetic type, a float type, or a disk type.

[0025] The filter 7 may be an oil mist filter, an air filter, or the like. An oil mist filter is a cylindrical device that has an element that separates and removes oil mist contained in compressed air. Oil mist is different from visible oil droplets and is oil with particle sizes of approximately 1 μm to 10 μm. An oil mist filter separates and removes oil mist from compressed air, from which water and oil droplets have been removed by a water-air separator, via an element installed inside the filter. If water or large oil droplets adhere to the element, it can cause clogging and a decrease in its removal function, leading to deterioration of the element, so the oil mist filter is installed after the water-air separator. The element provided in the oil mist filter is configured as a hollow cylindrical body, and is provided so that compressed air that flows into the oil mist filter flows out to the subsequent stage through the element. The material that makes up the element can be anything that can separate and remove oil mist contained in the compressed air when the compressed air flows in and passes through the element, and cellulose, synthetic fiber, etc. are used.

[0026] Air filters separate and remove dust particles contained in compressed air. The specific structure and materials of such air filters can be any structure that separates dust particles from compressed air, and filters made using conventional techniques such as laminated nonwoven fabrics or wool-like polyester can be used.

[0027] The flow of compressed air will be explained with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Atmospheric air is compressed by an air compressor 2, passes through a horizontal pipe 10A, and is accumulated in an air tank 3. From the air tank 3, the air passes through a horizontal pipe 10B, passes through a filter 7, and enters an air dryer 4. The diameter of the horizontal pipe 10 is set to be approximately the same as the diameter of the air outlet of the air compressor 2, so that compressed air can be efficiently sent. The compressed air is dehumidified by the air dryer 4 to lower the dew point temperature. From the air dryer 4, the air passes through a horizontal pipe 10C and enters the first steam-water separator 5. The length of the horizontal pipe 10C may be long depending on the positional relationship between the air dryer 4 and the location where the ascending pipe 11 is installed. As the piping length increases, drainage becomes more likely to occur. One way to prevent drainage from occurring is to reduce the diameter of only the horizontal pipe 10C. This increases the pressure of the compressed air inside the pipe, lowering the dew point temperature. Also, the contact area between the outside air and the outer periphery of the pipe is reduced, which helps prevent the temperature drop inside the pipe. For these reasons, it is possible to reduce the amount of drainage that can occur inside the pipe. The first air-water separator 5 is a cyclone separator that swirls air at high speed to remove moisture, dust, and oil. The first steam-water separator 5 is of a horizontal input x vertical output type, and the output compressed air is sent directly to the upward piping 11. The upflow pipe 11 is connected horizontally to the side of the upper pipe 12. By connecting it horizontally, the upflow pipe 11 receives part of the drain generated in the upper pipe 12. The upper pipe 12 is the part that distributes compressed air to each compressed air utilizing device. It may be a straight or branched pipe, but a ring pipe is preferable because it can distribute the pressure to each compressed air utilizing device uniformly. The compressed air flows from the upper pipe 12 through the downward pipe 13, via the second steam-water separator 6, through the horizontal pipe 14 and to the compressed air utilization equipment. The downflow pipe 13 is connected horizontally to the side of the upper pipe 12. By connecting from the horizontal direction, the downflow pipe 13 can receive a portion of the drain generated in the upper pipe 12. Briefly speaking, the configuration from the air dryer 4 to the second steam-water separator 6 comprises a horizontal pipe 10C through which compressed air sent out from the air dryer 4 passes, an ascending pipe 11 through which the compressed air in the horizontal pipe 10C flows upward, an upper pipe 12 connected to the ascending pipe 11, and a descending pipe 13 connected to the upper pipe 12. The first steam-water separator 5 is disposed at the connection between the horizontal pipe 10C and the ascending pipe 11, and the second steam-water separator 6 is disposed below the descending pipe 13.

[0028] The problem caused by the drain, which is a problem in this embodiment, will be described below. 3(a), a malfunction at the connection point from the horizontal pipe 10C to the ascending pipe 11 will be described. The figure shows the state in chronological order from top to bottom. Most of the foreign matter contained in the compressed air is separated and removed in advance by the air dryer 4, but as the temperature drops when the compressed air passes through the horizontal pipe 10C and the air collides with the inner wall of the pipe, the moisture remaining in the compressed air condenses, and drain D is generated inside the horizontal pipe 10C. When air flows from the horizontal pipe 10C to the ascending pipe 11, the air collides with the connection point between the horizontal pipe 10C and the ascending pipe 11, so that drain D is likely to be generated. As the amount of drainage near the connection point gradually increases, it clogs the area around the connection point. This causes an instantaneous drop in pressure in the downstream piping, which can cause problems such as malfunctions in compressed air equipment. In some cases, this is a serious malfunction that requires the compressed air equipment to be restarted. A malfunction at the connection point from the down pipe 13 to the horizontal pipe 14 will be described with reference to FIG. 3(b). When air flows from the down pipe 13 to the horizontal pipe 14, the air collides with the connection point between the down pipe 13 and the horizontal pipe 14, which tends to cause drainage. If the drain near the connection point gradually increases, it will clog the area around the connection point, causing an instantaneous drop in pressure in the downstream part of the piping, which can cause problems such as malfunctions in compressed air equipment. As such, drainage is likely to occur and serious problems are likely to occur at the connection point from the horizontal pipe 10C to the upstream pipe 11 and the connection point from the downstream pipe 13 to the horizontal pipe 14, so it is necessary to reduce the occurrence of drainage.

[0029] By disposing the first steam-water separator 5 at the connection point from the horizontal pipe 10C to the ascending pipe 11, the generated drain can be removed by the first steam-water separator 5. Therefore, problems caused by drainage at the connection point can be avoided. The collected drainage is discharged from the drain trap 8 as needed. By disposing the second steam-water separator 6 at the connection point from the down-flow pipe 13 to the horizontal pipe 14, the generated drain can be removed by the second steam-water separator 6. Therefore, problems caused by drainage at the connection point can be avoided. The collected drainage is discharged from the drain trap 8 as needed.

[0030] Furthermore, with regard to the first steam-water separator 5, by connecting the upflow pipe 11 horizontally to the side of the upper pipe 12, the drain generated in the upper pipe 12 can be received by the upflow pipe 11, and the drain received by the upflow pipe 11 flows down the upflow pipe 11 and is received by the first steam-water separator 5, thereby enabling the drain to be removed. Similarly, for the second steam-water separator 6, by connecting the downflow pipe 13 horizontally to the side of the upper pipe 12, the drain generated in the upper pipe 12 can be received by the downflow pipe 13, and the drain received by the downflow pipe 13 flows down the downflow pipe 13 and is received by the second steam-water separator 6, whereby the drain can be removed.

[0031] In this way, the drain in the upper pipe 12 can be removed by the first steam-water separator 5 and the second steam-water separator 6, so there is no need to install a drain trap 8 in the upper pipe 12, and drainage can be performed only by the first steam-water separator 5 and the second steam-water separator 6, thereby reducing the amount of equipment required.

[0032] A modified example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the first steam-water separator 5 removes the drainage water inside the horizontal pipe 10C. However, if the horizontal pipe 10C is long, the drainage water generated in each part of the horizontal pipe 10C may accumulate and may not be able to be removed by the first steam-water separator 5. Therefore, the horizontal pipe 10C is designed to have a downward slope from the air dryer 4 to the first steam-water separator 5. This causes the drainage water inside the horizontal pipe 10C to flow along the slope into the first steam-water separator 5. The drainage water generated inside the horizontal pipe 10C can be efficiently removed by the first steam-water separator 5 (Figure 4(a)).

[0033] When drainage occurs in the upper pipe 12, some of it can be removed by the first steam-water separator 5 and the second steam-water separator 6, but other drainage is thought to accumulate in the upper pipe 12. Therefore, the upper pipe 12 is made into a bent pipe, and the position where the upward pipe 11 connected to the first steam-water separator 5 is connected is set as one lowest point (B), and the position where the downward pipe 13 connected to the second steam-water separator 6 is connected is set as the other lowest point (B), and the part midway between the two lowest points is set as the highest point (A). With this configuration, the drain generated in the upper pipe 12 flows to either of the lowest points, and as a result, the drain can be removed by the first steam-water separator 5 or the second steam-water separator 6 (FIG. 4(b)).

[0034] In this embodiment, the second steam-water separator 6 has been described as an example of a horizontal input x horizontal output type cyclone separator, but it is also possible to use a type in which compressed air is taken in from the vertical downflow pipe 13 and discharged from the horizontal pipe 14, that is, a vertical input x horizontal output type cyclone separator, and this type is preferable because it can eliminate pressure loss due to the bend from the downflow pipe 13 to the horizontal pipe 14.

[0035] In this way, the present invention can reduce the effects of drain accumulation in a compressed air pressure circuit system, even if it includes an ascending pipe, a horizontal pipe, and a descending pipe, and can improve the quality of the compressed air.

[0036] Furthermore, since the first steam-water separator allows air to flow out in a vertical direction, pressure loss at the bent portion of the pipe can be avoided.

[0037] Furthermore, by connecting the ascending pipe and the descending pipe to the side of the upper pipe, the drain generated in the upper pipe can be led to the steam-water separator, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the steam-water separator.

[0038] Furthermore, by making the horizontal pipe to the first steam-water separator inclined downward, drainage inside the horizontal pipe can be efficiently removed.

[0039] Furthermore, by setting the connection point between the ascending pipe and the upper pipe at the lowest point of one, and the connection point between the descending pipe and the upper pipe at the lowest point of the other, the drain in the upper pipe can be effectively guided to one of the steam-water separators via the ascending pipe or the descending pipe, and the drain in the upper pipe can be efficiently removed.

[0040] Furthermore, by making the upper pipe an annular pipe, the pressure values ​​to each piece of compressed air utilization equipment can be averaged.

[0041] Furthermore, the second steam-water separator allows compressed air to flow in vertically and flow out horizontally, thereby making it possible to avoid pressure loss at the bent portion of the pipe. [Industrial Applicability]

[0042] The present invention is a technology for efficiently removing drain in a compressed air circuit system, and can be used in any field that uses compressed air. Therefore, it is believed that the "compressed air circuit system" according to the present invention has great industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1. Compressed air circuit system 2. Air compressor 3. Air tank 4 Air dryer 5 First steam water separator 6 Second steam-water separator 7 Filters 8 Drain trap 10 horizontal pipe 10A horizontal pipe 10B horizontal pipe 10C horizontal pipe 11 Upstream piping 12 Upper tube 13 Downstream piping 14 Horizontal pipe D Drain

Claims

1. A compressed air pressure circuit system, The air dryer comprises a horizontal pipe through which compressed air sent from the air dryer passes, an ascending pipe that causes the compressed air in the horizontal pipe to flow upward, an upward pipe connected to the ascending pipe, a descending pipe connected to the upward pipe, and a horizontal pipe that causes the compressed air in the descending pipe to flow to downstream equipment, a first steam-water separator is disposed at a connection between the horizontal pipe and the ascending pipe; A compressed air pressure circuit system characterized in that a second steam-water separator is disposed below the downflow pipe.

2. 2. The compressed air pressure circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first steam-water separator receives compressed air in a horizontal direction and discharges compressed air in a vertical direction. system.

3. 2. The compressed air pressure circuit system according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal pipe has a downward slope from the air dryer to the first steam-water separator.

4. 2. The compressed air circuit system according to claim 1, wherein the upper pipe is a curved pipe having one lowest point at a position where the upward pipe is connected and the other lowest point at a position where the downward pipe is connected.

5. 2. The compressed air circuit system according to claim 1, wherein the upper pipe is an annular pipe.

6. 2. The compressed air pressure circuit system according to claim 1, wherein the second steam separator receives compressed air in a vertical direction and discharges compressed air in a horizontal direction.

7. 7. The compressed air circuit system according to claim 1, wherein the ascending pipe and the descending pipe are connected to a side surface of the upper pipe.

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