Compressors and heat exchangers

Abstract

To reduce drain flowing out from a heat exchanger to a compressor body or a supply device.SOLUTION: A compressor comprises a compressor body that compresses and discharges air, and a heat exchanger connected downstream of the compressor body in the flow of compressed air discharged from the compressor body and exchanging heat between the compressed air and a cooling medium. The heat exchanger (20) comprises: an inlet (21) into which the compressed air flows; an outlet (22) through which the compressed air flows out; a cooling unit (23) that exchanges heat between the compressed air having flown into from the inlet (21) and the cooling medium to cool the compressed air; and a drain separation unit (24) that raises the compressed air having passed through the cooling unit (23) and separates drain from the compressed air.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a compressor and a heat exchanger. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an oil-free screw compressor including a compressor body and a plate heat exchanger that cools the compressed air discharged from the compressor body. The compressed air cooled by the plate heat exchanger is supplied to an external device or the like via a supply pipe. A drain pipe is connected to the lower side of the supply pipe, and drainage generated during cooling of the compressed air is discharged via the drain pipe. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4685474 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the oil-free screw compressor of Patent Document 1, although most of the drainage generated in the plate heat exchanger is discharged from the drainage piping, the drainage accompanying the flow of the compressed air is not discharged from the drainage piping and may flow downstream together with the compressed air.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to prevent drainage generated in a heat exchanger from flowing into a downstream compressor body or supply equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention provides a compressor comprising: a compressor main body that compresses and discharges air; and a heat exchanger connected downstream of the compressor main body in the flow of compressed air discharged from the compressor main body and performing heat exchange between the compressed air and a cooling medium, the heat exchanger comprising an inlet into which the compressed air flows in, an outlet from which the compressed air flows out, a cooling section that cools the compressed air by performing heat exchange between the compressed air flowing in from the inlet and the cooling medium, and a drain separation section that raises the compressed air that has passed through the cooling section and separates drain from the compressed air.

[0007] When the compressed air is cooled in the cooling section, the moisture contained in the compressed air condenses and drain is generated. In addition, when the compressed air containing the drain rises in the drain separation section, the drain falls by gravity and is separated from the compressed air. As a result, the compressed air from which the drain has been removed flows out from the outlet, so that the amount of drain flowing out from the heat exchanger to the compressor body and supply equipment can be reduced.

[0008] The heat exchanger may include a heating section that exchanges heat between the compressed air flowing in from the inlet and the compressed air flowing toward the outlet, and heats the compressed air flowing out from the outlet.

[0009] The compressed air from which the drain is separated by the drain separation unit after being cooled by the cooling unit is in a saturated state. Therefore, when the compressed air flowing out of the outlet of the heat exchanger is cooled, drain is generated again. According to this configuration, the compressed air flows out of the outlet after being heated by the heating unit, so that generation of drain can be suppressed even when the compressed air flowing out of the outlet is cooled.

[0010] The system may include a secondary drain separator connected in the flow of the compressed air downstream of the heat exchanger to separate the drain from the compressed air.

[0011] The compressed air from which drainage is separated by the drain separation unit after being cooled by the cooling unit is in a saturated state. Therefore, when the compressed air flowing out from the outlet of the heat exchanger is cooled, drainage is generated again. With this configuration, even if drainage is generated downstream of the heat exchanger in the flow of compressed air, the secondary drain separator separates the drainage from the compressed air. Therefore, it is possible to prevent drainage from flowing out together with the compressed air to the downstream side of the secondary drain separator in the flow of compressed air.

[0012] The secondary drain separator may include a frustum-shaped main body widening toward the upper side, an exhaust pipe provided at an upper part of the main body for discharging the compressed air, a secondary drain storage section provided at a lower part of the main body for storing the drain, and a partition plate having a plurality of openings provided between the exhaust pipe and the secondary drain storage section.

[0013] According to this configuration, since a partition plate having a plurality of openings is provided between the exhaust pipe and the secondary drain storage portion, it is possible to prevent the drain stored in the secondary drain storage portion from being stirred up by the compressed air flowing into the secondary drain separator and flowing out of the exhaust pipe together with the compressed air. Meanwhile, since the partition plate has a plurality of openings, the drain separated from the compressed air passes through the openings and is stored in the secondary drain storage portion.

[0014] A flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the drain separation portion may be larger than a flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​an air passage in the cooling portion through which the compressed air flows.

[0015] The slower the flow rate of the compressed air rising in the drain separation section, the easier it is for the drain to fall due to gravity, and therefore the easier it is to separate the drain from the compressed air. With this configuration, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the drain separation section is larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the air flow path of the cooling section, so the compressed air slows down when it flows from the cooling section to the drain separation section. As a result, the flow rate of the compressed air decreases in the drain separation section, and the amount of drain flowing out from the outlet of the heat exchanger can be reduced.

[0016] Another aspect of the present invention provides a heat exchanger comprising an inlet through which a gas flows in, an outlet through which the gas flows out, a gas-liquid heat exchange section that cools the gas by exchanging heat between the gas flowing in from the inlet and a cooling medium, and a drain separation section that raises the gas that has passed through the gas-liquid heat exchange section and separates drain from the gas.

[0017] When the gas is cooled in the gas-liquid heat exchanger, the moisture contained in the gas condenses and drain is generated. When the gas containing the drain rises in the drain separation section, the drain falls by gravity and is separated from the gas. As a result, the gas from which the drain has been removed flows out from the outlet, reducing the amount of drain that flows out from the heat exchanger to the compressor body and supply equipment.

[0018] The heat exchanger may further include a gas heat exchange section that exchanges heat between the air flowing in from the inlet and the air flowing toward the outlet.

[0019] The compressed air that has been cooled by the gas-liquid heat exchanger and from which the drain has been separated by the drain separator is in a saturated state. Therefore, when the compressed air that flows out of the outlet of the heat exchanger is cooled, drain is generated again. With this configuration, the compressed air flows out of the outlet after being heated by the heating unit, so that the generation of drain can be suppressed even when the compressed air that flows out of the outlet is cooled.

[0020] A flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the drain separation section may be larger than a flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​an air passage through which the air flows in the gas-liquid heat exchange section.

[0021] The slower the flow rate of the compressed air rising in the drain separation section, the easier it is for the drain to fall due to gravity, and therefore the easier it is to separate the drain from the compressed air. With this configuration, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the drain separation section is larger than the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the air flow path of the gas-liquid heat exchange section, so the compressed air slows down when it flows from the gas-liquid heat exchange section to the drain separation section. As a result, the flow rate of the compressed air decreases in the drain separation section, and the amount of drain flowing out from the outlet of the heat exchanger can be reduced. Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of drainage flowing out from the heat exchanger to the compressor body or the supply device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a compressor according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a secondary drain separator according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 6 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a compressor according to a first embodiment.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, a compressor 1 of this embodiment includes two compressor bodies 10A and 10B, two heat exchangers 20A and 20B, and two secondary drain separators 30A and 30B.

[0027] In the following description, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the two compressor bodies 10A, 10B, one of them may be simply referred to as the compressor body 10. Furthermore, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the heat exchangers 20A, 20B, one of them may be simply referred to as the heat exchanger 20. Furthermore, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the secondary drain separators 30A, 30B, one of them may be simply referred to as the secondary drain separator 30.

[0028] The compressor 1 is an oil-free screw compressor. The compressor 1 of this embodiment is a two-stage compressor that compresses air in stages and discharges it to a supply destination (not shown). In this embodiment, the compressor body 10A is a first-stage compressor body that compresses air to an intermediate pressure, and the compressor body 10B is a second-stage compressor body that compresses the compressed air discharged from the compressor body 10A to a discharge pressure to a supply destination (not shown).

[0029] A suction side of the compressor body 10A is connected to a pipe 40. On the other hand, a discharge side of the compressor body 10A is connected to a pipe 41. The compressor body 10A compresses the air sucked in through the pipe 40 and discharges it to the pipe 41.

[0030] A pipe 41 is connected to the suction side of the compressor body 10B. On the other hand, a pipe 42 is connected to the discharge side of the compressor body 10B. The compressor body 10B is disposed on the discharge side of the compressor body 10A and is fluidly connected to the compressor body 10A via the pipe 41. The compressor body 10B compresses the compressed air sucked through the pipe 41 and discharges it to the pipe 42.

[0031] The heat exchanger 20A is provided in the piping 41 and serves as an intercooler that cools the compressed air heated by the heat of compression in the compressor body 10A. The heat exchanger 20A is disposed downstream of the compressor body 10A in the flow of the compressed air, and is fluidly connected to the compressor body 10A via the piping 41.

[0032] The heat exchanger 20B is provided in the piping 42 and serves as an aftercooler that cools the compressed air heated by the heat of compression in the compressor body 10B. The heat exchanger 20B is disposed downstream of the compressor body 10B in the flow of the compressed air, and is fluidly connected to the compressor body 10B via the piping 42.

[0033] The secondary drain separator 30A is provided in the pipe 41, and separates drain from the compressed air after passing through the heat exchanger 20A. The secondary drain separator 30A is disposed downstream of the heat exchanger 20A in the flow of the compressed air, and is fluidly connected to the heat exchanger 20A via the pipe 41. On the other hand, the secondary drain separator 30A is disposed upstream of the compressor main body 10B in the flow of the compressed air, and is fluidly connected to the compressor main body 10B via the pipe 41.

[0034] The secondary drain separator 30B is provided in the pipe 42 and separates drain from the compressed air after passing through the heat exchanger 20B. The secondary drain separator 30B is disposed downstream of the heat exchanger 20B in the flow of the compressed air and is fluidly connected to the heat exchanger 20B via the pipe 42.

[0035] The compressor main bodies 10A, 10B, the heat exchangers 20A, 20B, and the secondary drain separators 30A, 30B are connected in series in the following order from the upstream side of the compressed air flow: compressor main body 10A, heat exchanger 20A, secondary drain separator 30A, compressor main body 10B, heat exchanger 20B, and secondary drain separator 30B.

[0036] Air sucked into the compressor body 10A through the piping 40 is compressed in the compressor body 10A and discharged to the piping 41. The compressed air discharged from the compressor body 10A is cooled by the heat exchanger 20A, and the drain is separated by the secondary drain separator 30A, and then supplied to the compressor body 10B. The compressed air supplied to the compressor body 10B is compressed in the compressor body 10B and discharged to the piping 42. The compressed air discharged from the compressor body 10B is cooled by the heat exchanger 20B, and the drain is separated by the secondary drain separator 30B, and then supplied to a supply destination (not shown).

[0037] (heat exchanger) Fig. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 20. In this embodiment, the heat exchanger 20A, which is an intercooler, and the heat exchanger 20B, which is an aftercooler, have the same configuration. In Fig. 2, the flow of compressed air is indicated by solid arrows, and the flow of cooling water is indicated by dotted arrows.

[0038] 2, the heat exchanger 20 includes an inlet 21 through which compressed air flows in and an outlet 22 through which the compressed air flows out. The heat exchanger 20 also includes a cooling section 23 as a gas-liquid heat exchange section that cools the compressed air by exchanging heat between the compressed air flowing in from the inlet 21 and cooling water, and a drain separation section 24 that raises the compressed air that has passed through the cooling section 23 and separates drain from the compressed air. The heat exchanger 20 of this embodiment also includes a heating section 25 that heats the compressed air flowing out from the outlet 22 by exchanging heat between the compressed air flowing in from the inlet 21 and the compressed air flowing toward the outlet 22. In other words, the heat exchanger 20 can be said to include a pre-cooling section that pre-cools the compressed air flowing in from the inlet 21 by exchanging heat between the compressed air flowing in from the inlet 21 and the compressed air flowing toward the outlet 22. For this reason, the heat exchanger 20 is provided with a gas heat exchange section that exchanges heat between the compressed air flowing in from the inlet 21 and the compressed air flowing toward the outlet 22 .

[0039] The heat exchanger 20 includes a casing 50, an inlet pipe 60, an outlet pipe 61, and a cooling pipe 62. In the following description, a direction intersecting the up-down direction when the heat exchanger 20 is installed (the left-right direction in FIG. 2) may be referred to as a lateral direction.

[0040] The casing 50 of this embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In the cross section shown in FIG. 2, the casing 50 includes a lower wall 51, an upper wall 52, a first side wall 53, and a second side wall 54. A first partition wall 55 and a second partition wall 56 are provided inside the casing 50. The space inside the casing 50 is divided into a cooling section 23, a drain separation section 24, and a heating section 25 by the first partition wall 55 and the second partition wall 56. The cooling section 23 and the drain separation section 24 are separated by the first partition wall 55. The drain separation section 24 and the heating section 25 are separated by the second partition wall 56.

[0041] The lower wall 51 extends in the horizontal direction in the cross section shown in Fig. 2. The lower wall 51 is provided with a primary drain outlet 51a for discharging drain accumulated in the primary drain storage section 26 provided below the cooling section 23 and the drain separation section 24.

[0042] The upper wall 52 extends in the horizontal direction in the cross section shown in Fig. 2. Furthermore, the upper wall 52 is disposed with a gap between it and the lower wall 51 in the up-down direction.

[0043] The first side wall 53 extends in the vertical direction in the cross section shown in Fig. 2. The lower end of the first side wall 53 is connected to an end of the lower wall 51. The upper end of the first side wall 53 is connected to an end of the upper wall 52. The first side wall 53 is provided with two insertion openings 53a into which the cooling pipes 62 are inserted. The two insertion openings 53a are arranged with an interval between them in the vertical direction.

[0044] The second side wall 54 is disposed at a horizontal distance from the first side wall 53. The second side wall 54 extends in the vertical direction in the cross section shown in FIG. 2. The lower end of the first side wall 53 is connected to an end of the lower wall 51. The upper end of the first side wall 53 is connected to an end of the upper wall 52. An inlet 21 and an outlet 22 are provided at the lower part of the second side wall 54. An introduction pipe 60 is inserted into the inlet 21. An outlet pipe 61 is inserted into the outlet 22.

[0045] The first partition wall 55 spatially separates the cooling section 23 and the drain separation section 24. The first partition wall 55 is disposed at a horizontal interval from the first side wall 53. The first partition wall 55 extends in the vertical direction in the cross section shown in FIG. 2. The lower end of the first partition wall 55 is disposed at a vertical interval from the lower wall 51. The upper end of the first partition wall 55 is connected to the upper wall 52. The cooling section 23 and the drain separation section 24 are fluidically connected by a communication section 55a, which is a space between the lower end of the first partition wall 55 and the lower wall 51. In addition, an insertion hole 55b into which the introduction pipe 60 is inserted is provided in the upper part of the first partition wall 55. A seal material (not shown) is provided between the insertion hole 55b and the introduction pipe 60, so that the cooling section 23 and the drain separation section 24 are not fluidically connected via the insertion hole 55b.

[0046] The second partition wall 56 spatially separates the drain separation section 24 and the heating section 25. The second partition wall 56 is disposed at a horizontal interval from the second side wall 54. The second partition wall 56 extends in the vertical direction in the cross section shown in FIG. 2. The lower end of the second partition wall 56 is connected to the lower wall 51. The upper end of the second partition wall 56 is connected to the upper wall 52. An insertion hole 56a into which the introduction pipe 60 is inserted is provided in the upper part of the second partition wall 56. A seal material (not shown) is provided between the insertion hole 56a and the introduction pipe 60 so that the drain separation section 24 and the heating section 25 are not fluidically connected through the insertion hole 56a. The upper part of the second partition wall 56 is provided with a communication hole 56b that fluidically connects the drain separation section 24 and the heating section 25.

[0047] One end of the introduction pipe 60 is connected to a pipe through which the compressed air discharged from the compressor body 10 flows (in this embodiment, the upstream portion of the heat exchanger 20 of the pipe 41 or the pipe 42 shown in FIG. 1). The other end of the introduction pipe 60 opens in the cooling section 23. As a result, the introduction pipe 60 introduces the compressed air discharged from the compressor body 10 into the cooling section 23.

[0048] The inlet pipe 60 includes a first portion 60a, a second portion 60b, and a third portion 60c.

[0049] The first portion 60a is a portion inserted into the inlet 21 and extending laterally. One end of the first portion 60a is connected to a pipe through which the compressed air discharged from the compressor body 10 flows (in this embodiment, the portion of the pipe 41 or the pipe 42 shown in FIG. 1 that is upstream of the heat exchanger 20). The other end of the first portion 60a (the end on the right side in FIG. 2) is located within the heating section 25. The compressed air flows laterally (from the left side to the right side in FIG. 2) within the first portion 60a.

[0050] The second portion 60b is a portion that extends in the vertical direction within the heating unit 25. The lower end of the second portion 60b is connected to the other end of the first portion 60a. The compressed air flows from the bottom to the top within the second portion 60b.

[0051] The third portion 60c extends laterally across the heating portion 25, the drain separation portion 24, and the cooling portion 23. That is, one end of the third portion 60c (the end on the left side in FIG. 2) is located in the heating portion 25, and the other end of the third portion 60c (the end on the right side in FIG. 2) is located in the cooling portion 23. In addition, one end of the third portion 60c is connected to the upper end of the second portion 60b, and the other end of the third portion 60c opens in the cooling portion 23. The compressed air flows laterally (from the left side to the right side in FIG. 2) in the third portion 60c.

[0052] The outlet pipe 61 is inserted into the outlet 22 and extends in the horizontal direction. One end of the outlet pipe 61 is connected to a pipe through which the cooled compressed air flows (in this embodiment, the portion of the pipe 41 or the pipe 42 shown in FIG. 1 downstream of the heat exchanger 20). The other end of the outlet pipe 61 (the end on the right side in FIG. 2) opens in the heating section 25. As a result, the compressed air cooled in the heat exchanger 20 is supplied to the downstream side of the heat exchanger 20. The compressed air flows in the outlet pipe 61 in the horizontal direction (from the right side to the left side in FIG. 2).

[0053] Cooling water flows through the cooling pipe 62 of this embodiment. The cooling pipe 62 is disposed in the cooling unit 23 and extends in the vertical direction within the cooling unit 23. The cooling water is supplied from a cooling water supply source (not shown) to one end (the lower end in FIG. 2) of the cooling pipe 62, flows from the bottom to the top within the cooling pipe 62, and flows out from the other end (the upper end in FIG. 2) of the cooling pipe 62. The cooling water of this embodiment is an example of a cooling medium according to the present invention.

[0054] In the cross section shown in FIG. 2, the cooling section 23 is a space defined by a lower wall 51, an upper wall 52, a first side wall 53, and a first partition wall 55. In the present embodiment, the cooling section 23 is a space extending in the vertical direction. Compressed air is introduced into the cooling section 23 through an inlet pipe 60. The compressed air introduced into the cooling section 23 is cooled by exchanging heat with the cooling water flowing in the cooling pipe 62 while flowing from above to below within the cooling section 23. At this time, as the compressed air is cooled, moisture contained in the compressed air is condensed, generating drainage.

[0055] The drain separation section 24 is a space defined by the lower wall 51, the upper wall 52, the first partition wall 55, and the second partition wall 56 in the cross section shown in FIG. 2. The drain separation section 24 in this embodiment is a space extending in the vertical direction. Compressed air accompanied with drain is introduced from the cooling section 23 to the drain separation section 24 through a gap between the lower wall 51 and the lower end of the first partition wall 55. The compressed air introduced to the drain separation section 24 flows from the bottom to the top in the drain separation section 24. At this time, the drain falls due to gravity and is separated from the compressed air. The separated drain is stored in the primary drain storage section 26 and discharged from the primary drain discharge port 51a.

[0056] As described above, the compressed air flows from top to bottom in the cooling section 23, and flows from bottom to top in the drain separation section 24. In other words, the direction in which the compressed air flows in the cooling section 23 is opposite to the direction in which the compressed air flows in the drain separation section 24. Specifically, the compressed air flows from top to bottom in the cooling section 23 and collides with the lower wall 51, then flows laterally (from right to left in FIG. 2) and collides with the second partition wall 56, and flows from bottom to top in the drain separation section 24. In this way, the compressed air collides with the lower wall 51 and the second partition wall 56, which makes it easier to separate the drain contained in the compressed air.

[0057] The flow passage cross-sectional area A1 of the drain separation section 24 in this embodiment is approximately the same as the flow passage cross-sectional area A2 of the cooling section 23. The flow passage cross-sectional area A1 of the drain separation section 24 is preferably 4 times or more and 6 times or less than the flow passage cross-sectional area A2 of the cooling section 23. The flow passage cross-sectional area A1 of the drain separation section 24 is the opening area of ​​the drain separation section 24 in a cross section perpendicular to the flow direction of the compressed air. Similarly, the flow passage cross-sectional area A2 of the cooling section 23 is the flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the air flow passage in the cooling section 23 through which the compressed air flows, and is the opening area of ​​the cooling section 23 in a cross section perpendicular to the flow direction of the compressed air. Also, in this embodiment, the flow passage cross-sectional area A1 of the drain separation section 24 is approximately constant along the flow of the compressed air in the drain separation section 24. Similarly, the flow passage cross-sectional area A2 of the cooling section 23 is approximately constant along the flow of the compressed air in the cooling section 23.

[0058] The heating section 25 is a space defined by the lower wall 51, the upper wall 52, the second side wall 54, and the second partition wall 56 in the cross section shown in FIG. 2. The heating section 25 in this embodiment is a space extending in the vertical direction. The compressed air from which the drain is separated from the drain separation section 24 is introduced into the heating section 25 through the communication hole 56b of the second partition wall 56. The compressed air introduced into the heating section 25 is in a saturated state. The compressed air introduced into the heating section 25 is heated by exchanging heat with the compressed air flowing in the inlet pipe 60 (particularly the second portion 60b) while flowing from above to below in the heating section 25. On the other hand, the compressed air flowing in the inlet pipe 60 is cooled. The compressed air heated by the heating section 25 is supplied downstream of the heat exchanger 20 through the outlet 22.

[0059] (Secondary drain separator) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the secondary drain separator 30. As shown in FIG.

[0060] The secondary drain separator 30 comprises a main body 31 having a truncated cone shape widening toward the top, an exhaust pipe 32 provided at the upper part of the main body 31, a secondary drain storage section 33 provided at the lower part of the main body 31, and a punching metal 34 provided between the exhaust pipe 32 and the secondary drain storage section 33.

[0061] The exhaust pipe 32 is provided coaxially with the main body 31. In this embodiment, the maximum diameter D2 of the main body 31 is two to three times the diameter D1 of the exhaust pipe 32.

[0062] The punched metal 34 of this embodiment is a metal plate having a plurality of openings 34a formed therein. The punched metal 34 of this embodiment is an example of a partition plate according to the present invention.

[0063] The compressed air introduced from the inlet 31a provided at the top of the main body 31 flows downward while swirling in the space between the main body 31 and the exhaust pipe 32. As the compressed air swirls, drain accompanying the compressed air is separated from the compressed air by centrifugal force. The compressed air from which the drain has been separated is supplied to the downstream side of the secondary drain separator 30 via the exhaust pipe 32.

[0064] On the other hand, the drain separated from the compressed air flows downward along the inner circumferential surface of the main body 31 and is stored in the secondary drain storage portion 33 through the openings 34a of the punching metal 34.

[0065] The compressor 1 of this embodiment has the following functions.

[0066] As the compressed air is cooled in the cooling section 23, moisture contained in the compressed air condenses and drainage is generated. As the compressed air containing the drainage rises in the drainage separation section 24, the drainage falls by gravity and is separated from the compressed air. As a result, the compressed air from which the drainage has been removed flows out from the outlet 22, so that the amount of drainage flowing out from the heat exchanger 20 can be reduced.

[0067] The compressed air from which the drain is separated by the drain separation section 24 after being cooled by the cooling section 23 is in a saturated state. Therefore, when the compressed air flowing out from the outlet 22 of the heat exchanger 20 is cooled (when the temperature is reduced), drain is generated again. In contrast, in this embodiment, the compressed air flows out from the outlet 22 after being heated by the heating section 25, so that generation of drain can be suppressed even when the compressed air flowing out from the outlet 22 is cooled.

[0068] The compressed air from which drainage has been separated by the drainage separator 24 after being cooled by the cooling section 23 is in a saturated state. Therefore, when the compressed air flowing out from the outlet 22 of the heat exchanger 20 is cooled (when the temperature drops), drainage is generated again. In this embodiment, even if drainage is generated downstream of the heat exchanger 20 in the compressed air flow, the secondary drainage separator 30 separates the drainage from the compressed air. Therefore, it is possible to prevent drainage from flowing out together with the compressed air to the downstream side of the secondary drain separator 30 in the compressed air flow.

[0069] In this embodiment, a punched metal 34 having a plurality of openings 34a is provided between the exhaust pipe 32 and the secondary drain storage section 33. This makes it possible to prevent the drain stored in the secondary drain storage section 33 from being blown up by the compressed air that has flowed into the secondary drain separator 30 and flowing out of the exhaust pipe 32 together with the compressed air. On the other hand, since the punched metal 34 is provided with a plurality of openings 34a, the drain separated from the compressed air is stored in the secondary drain storage section 33 through the openings 34a.

[0070] The slower the flow rate of the compressed air rising in the drain separation section 24, the easier it is for the drain to fall due to gravity, and therefore the easier it is to separate the drain from the compressed air. In this embodiment, since the flow path cross-sectional area A1 of the drain separation section 24 is larger than the flow path cross-sectional area A2 of the cooling section 23, the compressed air slows down when it flows from the cooling section 23 to the drain separation section 24. Therefore, the flow rate of the compressed air decreases in the drain separation section 24, and the amount of drain flowing out from the outlet 22 of the heat exchanger 20 can be reduced.

[0071] [Second embodiment] Hereinafter, a heat exchanger 120 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The compressor 1 according to the second embodiment has a similar configuration to the compressor 1 according to the first embodiment, except for the configuration of the heat exchanger 120, and FIGS. 1 and 3 are used. In the second embodiment, the same configurations as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference symbols and described. In this embodiment, the heat exchanger 20A as an intercooler and the heat exchanger 20B as an aftercooler shown in FIG. 1 are configured by the heat exchanger 120 shown in FIG. 4.

[0072] Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the main parts of this embodiment, and is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 120. In Fig. 4, the flow of compressed air is indicated by solid arrows, and the flow of coolant (cooling water in this embodiment) is indicated by dotted arrows. In the following description, the direction intersecting the up-down direction in a state where the heat exchanger 120 is installed (the left-right direction in Fig. 4) may be referred to as the horizontal direction.

[0073] 4, the heat exchanger 120 includes an inlet 121 through which the compressed air flows in and an outlet 122 through which the compressed air flows out. The heat exchanger 120 also includes a cooling section 123 as a gas-liquid heat exchange section that cools the compressed air by exchanging heat between the compressed air flowing in from the inlet 121 and cooling water, and a drain separation section 124 that raises the compressed air that has passed through the cooling section 123 and separates drain from the compressed air. The heat exchanger 120 of this embodiment also includes a heating section 125 that heats the compressed air flowing out from the outlet 122 by exchanging heat between the compressed air flowing in from the inlet 121 and the compressed air flowing toward the outlet 122. In other words, the heat exchanger 120 can be said to include a pre-cooling section that pre-cools the compressed air flowing in from the inlet 121 by exchanging heat between the compressed air flowing in from the inlet 121 and the compressed air flowing toward the outlet 122. For this reason, the heat exchanger 120 is provided with a gas heat exchange section that exchanges heat between the compressed air flowing in from the inlet 121 and the compressed air flowing toward the outlet 122 .

[0074] The heat exchanger 120 of this embodiment is a plate-type heat exchanger. The heat exchanger 120 includes a plurality of plates 150A-150M (13 plates in this embodiment). In the following description, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the plates 150A-150M, one of them may simply be referred to as plate 150.

[0075] 4, the plates 150 extend in the vertical direction. The plates 150A to 150M are stacked in the horizontal direction to form the heat exchanger 120. Furthermore, the plates 150A to 150M, except for the plate 150K, are provided with spaces through which compressed air or coolant can flow.

[0076] The upper side surface of the heat exchanger 120 is formed by the upper ends of the plates 150A to 150M.

[0077] The lower side surface of the heat exchanger 120 is formed by the lower ends of the plates 150A to 150M. A primary drain outlet 151 for discharging drain accumulated in a primary drain storage section 126 provided below a part of the cooling section 123 (a section through which air flows) and the drain separation section 124 is provided at the lower part of the plate 150F.

[0078] One lateral side of the heat exchanger 120 is formed of a plate 150A. An inlet 121 through which compressed air flows in and an outlet 122 through which compressed air flows out are provided at the bottom of the plate 150A.

[0079] The inlet 121 is fluidly connected to a pipe through which the compressed air discharged from the compressor body 10 flows (in this embodiment, the upstream portion of the heat exchanger 20 of the pipe 41 or the pipe 42 shown in FIG. 1). As a result, the compressed air discharged from the compressor body 10 is introduced into the heat exchanger 120.

[0080] The outlet 122 is fluidly connected to a pipe through which the cooled compressed air flows (in this embodiment, the portion of the pipe 41 or the pipe 42 shown in FIG. 1 downstream of the heat exchanger 20). As a result, the compressed air cooled in the heat exchanger 120 is supplied to the downstream side of the heat exchanger 120.

[0081] The other lateral side of the heat exchanger 120 is formed of a plate 150M. The plate 150M is provided with an inlet 152 through which cooling water (cooling medium) flows in and an outlet 153 through which the cooling water flows out. The inlet 152 and the outlet 153 are arranged with a gap between them in the vertical direction. The inlet 152 is provided below the outlet 153.

[0082] In the heat exchanger 120 of this embodiment, an air flow path 160 and a cooling water flow path 161 are formed.

[0083] The air flow path 160 includes a first portion 160a, a second portion 160b, a third portion 160c, a fourth portion 160d, and a fifth portion 160e.

[0084] The first portion 160a is a space defined by the plates 150A to 150C in the cross section shown in Fig. 4. The first portion 160a extends in the vertical direction in the cross section shown in Fig. 4. The first portion 160a is also in communication with the inlet 121. The compressed air flowing in from the inlet 121 flows from the bottom to the top within the first portion 160a.

[0085] The second portion 160b is a space defined by the plates 150I to 150K in the cross section shown in FIG. 4. The second portion 160b extends in the vertical direction in the cross section shown in FIG. 4. The second portion 160b is adjacent to the cooling water flow path 161 via the plate 150K. The second portion 160b communicates with the first portion 160a. The compressed air that has passed through the first portion 160a flows from the top to the bottom in the second portion 160b.

[0086] The third portion 160c is a space defined by the plates 150G-150I in the cross section shown in FIG. 4. The third portion 160c extends in the up-down direction in the cross section shown in FIG. 4. The third portion 160c is fluidly connected to the second portion 160b by a communication portion 154, which is a space provided in the lower portion of the plate 150I. A portion of the compressed air that has passed through the second portion 160b flows into the third portion 160c through the communication portion 154 and flows from the bottom to the top within the third portion 160c.

[0087] The fourth portion 160d is a space defined by the plates 150E to 150G in the cross section shown in FIG. 4. The fourth portion 160d extends in the vertical direction in the cross section shown in FIG. 4. The fourth portion 160d is fluidically connected to the third portion 160c by the communication portion 155, which is a space provided in the lower portion of the plate 150G. A part of the compressed air that has passed through the second portion 160b flows into the fourth portion 160d through the communication portion 154 and the communication portion 155, and flows from the bottom to the top in the fourth portion 160d. That is, the compressed air that has passed through the second portion 160b branches and flows into the third portion 160c and the fourth portion 160d.

[0088] The fifth portion 160e is a space defined by the plates 150C to 150E in the cross section shown in FIG. 4. The fifth portion 160e extends in the up-down direction in the cross section shown in FIG. 4. The fifth portion 160e is adjacent to the first portion 160a via the plate 150C. The fifth portion 160e is fluidically connected to the fourth portion 160d by the communication portion 156, which is a space provided in the upper portion of the plate 150E. The fifth portion 160e is fluidically connected to the third portion 160c by the communication portion 156 and the communication portion 157, which is a space provided in the upper portion of the plate 150G. The fifth portion 160e is also in communication with the outlet 122. The compressed air that has passed through the third portion 160c and the compressed air that has passed through the fourth portion 160d join together and flow into the fifth portion 160e, flow from top to bottom within the fifth portion 160e, and flow out from the outlet 122.

[0089] Cooling water flows in the cooling water flow path 161. In the cross section shown in FIG. 4, the cooling water flow path 161 is a space defined by the plates 150K to 150M. In FIG. 4, the cooling water flow path 161 extends in the vertical direction. The cooling water is supplied to one end (the lower end in FIG. 4) of the cooling water flow path 161 from a cooling water supply source (not shown) through the inlet 152, flows from the bottom to the top in the cooling water flow path 161, and flows out from the other end (the upper end in FIG. 4) of the cooling water flow path 161 through the outlet 153. The cooling water of this embodiment is an example of a cooling medium according to the present invention.

[0090] The cooling section 123 of this embodiment is composed of a second portion 160b of the air flow path 160 and a cooling water flow path 161. In the cooling section 123, the compressed air is cooled by exchanging heat with the cooling water flowing in the cooling water flow path 161 via the plate 150K while flowing from above to below in the second portion 160b. At this time, as the compressed air is cooled, moisture contained in the compressed air is condensed, generating drainage.

[0091] The drain separation section 124 of this embodiment is composed of a third portion 160c and a fourth portion 160d of the air flow path 160. Compressed air accompanied with drain is introduced into the drain separation section 124 from the cooling section 123 (more specifically, the second portion 160b of the air flow path 160) via the communication section 154. The compressed air introduced into the drain separation section 124 flows from the bottom to the top within the drain separation section 124. At this time, the drain falls due to gravity and is separated from the compressed air. The separated drain is stored in the primary drain storage section 126 and is discharged from the primary drain discharge port 151 by opening a drain discharge valve (not shown) at an appropriate time.

[0092] As described above, the compressed air flows from top to bottom in the cooling section 123 (more specifically, the second portion 160b of the air flow path 160) and flows from bottom to top in the drain separation section 124. That is, the direction in which the compressed air flows in the cooling section 123 is opposite to the direction in which the compressed air flows in the drain separation section 124. Specifically, the compressed air flows from top to bottom in the cooling section 123 (more specifically, the second portion 160b of the air flow path 160) and collides with the lower side surface of the heat exchanger 120 (more specifically, the lower end of the plate 150J), and then flows laterally (from the right side to the left side in FIG. 4) and collides with the plate 150E, and flows from bottom to top in the drain separation section 124. In this way, the compressed air collides with the lower end of the plate 150J and the plate 150E, which makes it easier to separate the drain contained in the compressed air.

[0093] The flow passage cross-sectional area A1 of the drain separation part 124 is larger than the flow passage cross-sectional area A2 of the air passage of the cooling part 123 (i.e., the second part 160b). The flow passage cross-sectional area A1 of the drain separation part 124 is preferably 4 times or more and 6 times or less than the flow passage cross-sectional area A2 of the air passage of the cooling part 123. The flow passage cross-sectional area A1 of the drain separation part 124 is the opening area of ​​the drain separation part 124 in a cross section perpendicular to the flow direction of the compressed air. More specifically, the flow passage cross-sectional area A1 of the drain separation part 124 in this embodiment is the sum of the opening area of ​​the third part 160c and the opening area of ​​the fourth part 160d in a cross section perpendicular to the flow direction of the compressed air. Similarly, the flow passage cross-sectional area A2 of the air passage of the cooling part 123 is the flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the air passage of the cooling part 123 through which the compressed air flows, and is the opening area of ​​the second part 160b in a cross section perpendicular to the flow direction of the compressed air. In this embodiment, the flow path cross-sectional area A1 of the drain separation section 124 is generally constant along the flow of the compressed air in the drain separation section 124. Similarly, the flow path cross-sectional area A2 of the air flow path of the cooling section 123 is generally constant along the flow of the compressed air in the air flow path of the cooling section 123.

[0094] The heating section 125 of this embodiment is composed of a first portion 160a and a fifth portion 160e of the air flow path 160. Compressed air from which drain has been separated from the drain separation section 124 is introduced into the fifth portion 160e through the communication section 156. The compressed air introduced into the fifth portion 160e constituting a part of the heating section 125 is in a saturated state. The compressed air introduced into the fifth portion 160e constituting a part of the heating section 125 is heated by exchanging heat with the compressed air flowing through the first portion 160a while flowing from above to below in the fifth portion 160e. On the other hand, the compressed air flowing through the first portion 160a is cooled. The compressed air heated by the heating section 125 is supplied downstream of the heat exchanger 120 through the outlet 122.

[0095] The compressor 1 of the second embodiment has the same functions as the compressor 1 of the first embodiment.

[0096] Although specific embodiments of the present invention and modifications thereof have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be practiced with various modifications within the scope of the present invention.

[0097] The compressor 1 in the above embodiment is a two-stage compressor consisting of a compressor body 10A which is a first stage compressor body and a compressor body 10B which is a second stage compressor body, but is not limited to this. In other words, the compressor 1 may be a single-stage compressor consisting of one compressor body 10, or a multi-stage compressor consisting of three or more compressor bodies 10.

[0098] In the above embodiment, the heat exchanger 20A as an intercooler and the heat exchanger 20B as an aftercooler have the same configuration, but are not limited to this. In other words, it is sufficient that either the intercooler or the aftercooler is the heat exchanger 20 of the present invention.

[0099] Moreover, the secondary drain separator 30 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0100] In the first embodiment, the flow path cross-sectional area (A1) of the drain separation section 24, which is the flow path cross-sectional area for the vertical flow of compressed air, and the flow path cross-sectional area (A2) of the air flow path of the cooling section 23 are approximately the same, but this is not limited to this and may not be the same. That is, as shown in the second embodiment, the flow path cross-sectional area (A1) of the drain separation section 124 and the flow path cross-sectional area (A2) of the air flow path of the cooling section 123 may be different from each other. In this case, the flow path cross-sectional area (A1) of the drain separation section 24, 124 and the flow path cross-sectional area (A2) of the air flow path of the cooling section 23, 123 according to the present invention are the minimum flow path cross-sectional areas for the vertical flow of compressed air in each flow path. In this case, it is preferable that the minimum flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the drain separation section 24 is up to six times the minimum flow path cross-sectional area in the cooling section 23. In addition, when the air flow path of the drain separation section 24, 124 or the cooling section 23, 123 branches into multiple paths midway along the air flow path from the inlet 21, 121 to the outlet 22, 122 of the heat exchanger 20, the minimum flow path cross-sectional area means the sum of the flow path cross-sectional areas of the branched air flow paths. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 1 Compressor 10, 10A, 10B Compressor body 20,20A,20B heat exchanger 21 Entrance 22 Exit 23 Cooling section 24 Drain separation section 25 Heating section 26 Primary drain storage section 30, 30A, 30B Secondary drain separator 31 Main unit 31a Inlet 32 Exhaust pipe 33 Secondary drain storage section 34 Punching metal (partition plate) 34a aperture 40,41,42 Piping 50 Casing 51 Lower wall 51a Primary drain outlet 52 Upper Wall 53 First side wall 53a Insertion port 54 Second side wall 55 First Partition Wall 55a Communication part 55b Insertion hole 56 Second Partition Wall 56a Insertion hole 56b Communication hole 60 Inlet piping 60a Part 1 60b 2nd part 60c 3rd part 61 Outlet piping 62 Cooling piping 120 Heat exchanger 121 Entrance 122 Exit 123 Cooling section 124 Drain separation section 125 Heating section 126 Primary drain storage section Plates 150, 150A to 150M 151 Primary drain outlet 152 Inlet 153 Outlet 154 Communication part 155 Communication part 156 Communication part 157 Communication part 160 Air flow path 160a First part 160b Second part 160c Third part 160d Fourth part 160e Fifth part 161 Cooling water flow path

Claims

1. A compressor body that compresses and discharges air; a heat exchanger that is connected downstream of the compressor body in the flow of compressed air discharged from the compressor body and exchanges heat between the compressed air and a cooling medium; Equipped with The heat exchanger includes: A casing; an inlet provided in the casing through which the compressed air flows; an outlet provided in the casing through which the compressed air flows; a cooling unit provided inside the casing and configured to cool the compressed air by exchanging heat between the compressed air flowing in from the inlet and the cooling medium; a drain separation section provided inside the casing and configured to raise the compressed air that has passed through the cooling section and separate drain from the compressed air; a heating section provided inside the casing, exchanging heat between the compressed air flowing in from the inlet and the compressed air flowing toward the outlet, thereby heating the compressed air flowing out from the outlet; Equipped with A compressor, wherein the cooling section, the drain separation section, and the heating section are arranged in the order of the cooling section, the drain separation section, and the heating section in a horizontal direction intersecting a vertical direction.

2. The compressor according to claim 1 , wherein the inlet and the outlet are provided in the same side wall of the casing.

3. The heat exchanger includes: a first partition wall separating the cooling section and the drain separation section from each other in an adjacent manner; a second partition wall adjacent to and separating the drain separation section and the heating section; The compressor of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

4. The heat exchanger further includes an inlet pipe that introduces the compressed air flowing in from the inlet into the cooling section, The introduction pipe is a first portion inserted into the inlet and extending laterally; a second portion extending in a vertical direction in the heating portion and having a lower end connected to the first portion; a third portion extending laterally across the heating portion, the drain separation portion, and the cooling portion, and having one end connected to an upper end of the second portion; The compressor according to claim 1 , further comprising:

5. The compressor according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger further includes a cooling pipe extending in a vertical direction inside the cooling portion and through which the cooling medium flows.

6. 6. The compressor of claim 1, further comprising a secondary drain separator connected in the flow of the compressed air downstream of the heat exchanger for separating the drain from the compressed air.

7. The secondary drain separator comprises: A frustum-shaped body that widens toward the top, an exhaust pipe provided on an upper portion of the main body and configured to exhaust the compressed air; a secondary drain storage section provided in a lower portion of the main body and configured to store the drain; a partition plate provided between the exhaust pipe and the secondary drain storage portion and having a plurality of openings; The compressor of claim 6 .

8. The compressor according to claim 1 , wherein a flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​the drain separation portion is larger than a flow passage cross-sectional area of ​​an air flow passage in the cooling portion through which the compressed air flows.

9. A casing; an inlet provided in the casing through which air flows; an outlet provided in the casing through which air flows out; a gas-liquid heat exchanger provided inside the casing and configured to exchange heat between the air flowing in from the inlet and a cooling medium to cool the air; a drain separation section provided inside the casing and configured to raise the air that has passed through the gas-liquid heat exchange section and separate drain from the air; a gas heat exchanger provided inside the casing and performing heat exchange between the air flowing in from the inlet and the air flowing toward the outlet; Equipped with A heat exchanger in which the gas-liquid heat exchange section, the drain separation section, and the gas heat exchange section are arranged in a horizontal direction intersecting a vertical direction, in the order of the gas-liquid heat exchange section, the drain separation section, and the gas heat exchange section.

10. a first partition wall separating the gas-liquid heat exchange unit and the drain separation unit from each other; a second partition wall adjacent to and separating the drain separation section and the gas heat exchange section; The heat exchanger of claim 9 further comprising:

11. The compressed air introduced through the inlet is introduced into the gas-liquid heat exchanger. The introduction pipe is a first portion inserted into the inlet and extending laterally; a second portion extending in a vertical direction in the gas heat exchange portion and having a lower end connected to the first portion; a third portion extending laterally across the gas heat exchange portion, the drain separation portion, and the gas-liquid heat exchange portion, and having one end connected to an upper end of the second portion; 11. The heat exchanger according to claim 9 or 10, comprising:

12. 12. The heat exchanger according to claim 9, wherein a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the drain separation section is larger than a flow path cross-sectional area of ​​an air flow path through which the air flows in the gas-liquid heat exchange section.

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