Compressed air pressure circuit unit

Abstract

To provide a compressed air pressure circuit unit which can separate and remove drainage, oil droplets, and oil mist contained in compressed air before the compressed air flows into a freezing air dryer by placing a gas-liquid separator and an oil mist filter in stages before the freezing air dryer.SOLUTION: A compressed air pressure circuit unit includes a gas-liquid separator and an oil mist filter disposed at a subsequent stage of the gas-liquid separator in stages before a freezing air dryer, thereby separating and removing drainage and oil droplets with the gas-liquid separator and separates and removes oil mist which is likely to adhere to the inside of the freezing air dryer with the oil mist filter.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a compressed air pressure circuit unit, and more particularly to a compressed air pressure circuit unit that separates and removes drain, oil droplets, and oil mist contained in compressed air at a stage preceding a refrigerated air dryer. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in compressed air circuits, a cyclone separator has been installed in the front stage to improve the efficiency of the air dryer. However, even with the cyclone separator, minute oil mist and dust particles are not removed, and they adhere to the heat exchange section inside the air dryer, reducing the heat conversion efficiency. Even if dust adheres, it often falls off due to air currents, etc. In contrast, oil mist adheres as a liquid and gradually covers the refrigerant pipes, hindering heat exchange. To eliminate the oil mist buildup, regular cleaning is required, but this is a roundabout method and is often not carried out. As a result, air dryers are often operated for long periods without being able to perform to their full potential. Therefore, there was a need for technology to maintain the performance of the air dryer's heat exchange section.

[0003] In response to the above technical issues, the applicant developed a compressed air pressure circuit system in which a cyclone separator is arranged in the upstream stage of the air dryer and a centrifugal separator is arranged in the downstream stage of the air dryer, and made the technical proposal described in Japanese Patent No. 5655248 (Patent Document 1). According to this technical proposal, by arranging a cyclone separator in the upstream stage of the refrigerated air dryer and a centrifugal separator in the downstream stage of the air dryer, it was possible to reduce the moisture and oil content in the air dryer and further reduce the moisture and oil content after the air dryer, thereby achieving the excellent effect of reducing total energy consumption. However, according to the technical proposal described in Patent Document 1, the centrifuge is installed on the assumption that oil will be sent to the downstream of the air dryer, and there is no mention of oil mist adhering to the inside of the air dryer, so the above problem has not yet been solved.

[0004] Therefore, the applicant focused on the problem of oil, particularly oil mist, flowing into and adhering to the interior of a refrigerated air dryer, and came up with the idea of ​​whether it might be possible to remove the oil mist before the compressed air flows into the refrigerated air dryer. He developed a compressed air pressure circuit unit that is equipped with a gas-liquid separator and an oil mist filter upstream of the refrigerated air dryer, and is able to separate and remove drainage, oil droplets, and even oil mist contained in the compressed air before it flows into the refrigerated air dryer, leading to the proposal of the "compressed air pressure circuit unit" of the present invention. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5655248 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 unit in which a gas-liquid separator and an oil mist filter are disposed upstream of a refrigerated air dryer, and which is capable of separating and removing drainage, oil droplets, and oil mist contained in the compressed air before it flows into the refrigerated air dryer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a compressed air pressure circuit unit which includes a gas-liquid separator and an oil mist filter disposed downstream of the gas-liquid separator, upstream of a refrigerated air dryer, and employs means for separating and removing drainage water and oil droplets using the gas-liquid separator, and for separating and removing oil mist which tends to adhere to the inside of the refrigerated air dryer using the oil mist filter.

[0008] The present invention also employs a means in which the gas-liquid separator is a cyclone separator.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention employs a means for disposing an air filter between the gas-liquid separator and the oil mist filter to separate and remove dust.

[0010] The present invention employs a means for providing a CO2 absorption section within the oil mist filter. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The compressed air pressure circuit unit according to the present invention has the excellent effect of preventing the inflow of oil mist, which would reduce the performance of the air dryer, in the compressed air pressure circuit, and preventing the adhesion of oil mist inside the air dryer, thereby reducing maintenance work and improving work efficiency.

[0012] Furthermore, in the compressed air pressure circuit unit according to the present invention, the gas-liquid separator is a cyclone separator, which makes it possible to efficiently separate and remove drainage, oil droplets, and dust contained in the compressed air using a centrifugal separation mechanism, thereby achieving the excellent effect of reducing deterioration of the oil mist filter provided downstream.

[0013] Furthermore, according to the compressed air pressure circuit unit of the present invention, by disposing an air filter that separates and removes dust between the gas-liquid separator and the oil mist filter, it becomes possible to separate and remove fine dust particles in the compressed air that could not be separated and removed by the gas-liquid separator, which contributes to purifying the compressed air flowing into the refrigerated air dryer.

[0014] Furthermore, the compressed air pressure circuit unit according to the present invention has a CO2 absorption section within the oil mist filter, which makes it possible to separate and absorb CO2 contained in the compressed air, and has the excellent effect of enabling clean compressed air from which CO2 has been removed to be sent to downstream compressed air utilization equipment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall view showing an embodiment of a compressed air pressure circuit unit according to the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an overall view showing another embodiment of a compressed air pressure circuit unit according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The compressed air pressure circuit unit 1 according to the present invention is characterized in that, by arranging a gas-liquid separator 10 and an oil mist filter 11 in the stage preceding the refrigerated air dryer 3 in the compressed air pressure circuit, it is possible to prevent the inflow of oil mist, which would cause a decrease in the performance of the refrigerated air dryer 3. Hereinafter, an embodiment of a compressed air pressure circuit unit 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The compressed air circuit unit 1 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 the shape, dimensions, materials, structure, etc., that can achieve the same functional effects.

[0017] Fig. 1 is an overall view showing an embodiment of a compressed air pressure circuit unit 1 according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is an overall view showing another embodiment of the compressed air pressure circuit unit 1 according to the present invention. The compressed air pressure circuit unit 1 according to the present invention is mainly composed of an air compressor 2, a refrigerated air dryer 3, and a gas-liquid separator 10 and an oil mist filter 11 (hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as "each device") provided in the upstream stage of the refrigerated air dryer 3. The compressed air pressure circuit unit 1 also has an air pipe 5 that connects each device and supplies compressed air, and is connected to compressed air-using equipment connected in the downstream stage of the compressed air pressure circuit unit 1.

[0018] The air compressor 2 is a device that compresses air to generate compressed air at a predetermined pressure (for example, 0.7 MPa) or higher. 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.

[0019] The gas-liquid separator 10 is a device for separating and removing drain and oil droplets from the compressed air that flows in from the air compressor 2. Compressed air generated by the air compressor 2 contains foreign matter (hereinafter simply referred to as "foreign matter") such as moisture, dust, and oil droplets contained in the atmosphere. Therefore, a gas-liquid separator 10 is provided to separate and remove the foreign matter from the compressed air before it is sent to the downstream refrigeration-type air dryer 3. The compressed air that flows into the gas-liquid separator 10 swirls at high speed through a flow path formed with a blade-like or spiral structure, and foreign matter such as drainage and oil droplets are separated and removed by the principle of centrifugal separation before being sent to the subsequent stage. The drainage and oil droplets separated from the compressed air by the gas-liquid separator 10 collide with the inner wall of the gas-liquid separator 10. They then hang down due to gravity and are discharged to the outside by the drain trap 6, which will be described later. As for the specific structure of the gas-liquid separator 10, a cyclone separator using a conventionally known technique may be used. Since the gas-liquid separator 10 is a cyclone separator, drainage, oil droplets, and dust contained in the compressed air can be efficiently separated and removed by a centrifugal separation mechanism, which has the excellent effect of reducing deterioration of the oil mist filter 11 installed in the subsequent stage. The compressed air from which drainage and oil droplets have been removed by the gas-liquid separator 10 flows into an oil mist filter 11 disposed downstream.

[0020] The oil mist filter 11 is a cylindrical device having 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. The oil mist filter 11 separates and removes oil mist by passing the compressed air, from which water and oil droplets have been removed by the gas-liquid separator 10, through an element provided within the oil mist filter 11. Note that if water or large oil droplets adhere to the element, this will induce deterioration of the element, such as clogging and a decrease in removal function, so the oil mist filter 11 is provided at the subsequent stage of the gas-liquid separator 10. The element provided in the oil mist filter 11 is formed of a hollow cylindrical body, and is installed so that the compressed air that flows into the oil mist filter 11 flows out to the subsequent stage through the element. The material that constitutes the element may be any material 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.

[0021] Also, a preferred embodiment is one in which the hollow portion of the element has a CO2 adsorption portion that separates and removes CO2. By having a CO2 absorption section within the oil mist filter 11, it becomes possible to separate and absorb CO2 from the compressed air, and clean compressed air from which CO2 has been removed can be sent to downstream compressed air utilization equipment. The CO2 adsorption unit is provided in the hollow part of the element, and the CO2 capture method is not particularly limited and can be selected from existing methods such as chemical absorption, physical absorption, and solid absorption. The material and shape of the CO2 adsorption unit are also appropriately selected depending on the CO2 capture method, and materials such as amine compounds, ceramics, zeolite, and activated carbon can be used in granular, wool, or sheet form. The use of such materials enables efficient CO2 adsorption and desorption, contributing to the reuse of the captured CO2.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, an embodiment in which an air filter 12 is disposed between the gas-liquid separator 10 and the oil mist filter 11 is also possible. The air filter 12 separates and removes dust contained in the compressed air that has flowed in from the gas-liquid separator 10. The specific structure and material of the air filter 12 may be any structure that separates dust from the compressed air, and filters made using conventionally known technology, such as laminated nonwoven fabrics or wool-like polyester, may be used. By disposing an air filter 12 between the gas-liquid separator 10 and the oil mist filter 11 to separate and remove dust, it becomes possible to separate and remove fine dust particles in the compressed air that could not be separated and removed by the gas-liquid separator 10, thereby reducing the burden on the oil mist filter 11 and also contributing to the purification of the compressed air flowing into the refrigerated air dryer 3.

[0023] The refrigerated air dryer 3 is a device that cools compressed air using the latent heat of evaporation of a refrigerant, condenses moisture contained in the compressed air, and removes it as drain. The refrigerated air dryer 3 generally comes in two types: air-cooled and water-cooled, depending on the cooling method. The refrigerated air dryer 3 used in the present invention may be either air-cooled or water-cooled, and is not particularly limited. Normally, the compressed air flowing into the refrigerated air dryer 3 contains not only water vapor, which is a constituent of the atmosphere, but also foreign matter such as dust suspended in the atmosphere and oil mist mixed in from the bearings used in the air compressor 2. Dust that flows into the refrigerated air dryer 3 adheres to the drain that is generated when water vapor condenses due to the cooling effect, or collides with the outer wall and falls downward due to the flow of compressed air, and is discharged to the outside together with the drain. However, if oil mist is cooled while adhering to the internal piping (refrigerant flow path) of the refrigerated air dryer 3, it remains there without dropping down from the internal piping, and acts as an insulating layer covering the cooled piping, impeding heat exchange and gradually reducing the cooling effect of the refrigerant on the compressed air. Therefore, in order to prevent foreign matter, especially oil mist, from entering the compressed air flowing into the refrigerated air dryer 3, an oil mist filter 11 must be provided in the upstream stage of the refrigerated air dryer 3. The compressed air that does not contain drain or foreign matter flows into the refrigerated air dryer 3 through the gas-liquid separator 10 and the oil mist filter 11, and the moisture contained therein is separated and removed by the refrigerated air dryer 3. The compressed air that does not contain drain, foreign matter, or moisture is discharged and sent to the downstream compressed air utilization equipment as dry, clean, and high-quality compressed air.

[0024] The drain trap 6 is provided in the refrigerated air dryer 3, gas-liquid separator 10, and oil mist filter 11 to discharge drain generated in each device such as the refrigerated air dryer 3. By providing the drain trap 6 at the bottom of the device, it is possible to efficiently discharge drain that hangs down due to gravity to the outside, and it also contributes to improving maintainability. The drain trap 6 may be of an electromagnetic type, a float type, a disk type, or the like. There is no particular limitation on the type of drain trap 6 used in the present invention.

[0025] An air tank 4 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is disposed between the compressed air pressure circuit unit 1 and the compressed air utilizing equipment. The air tank 4 is a container that temporarily stores the compressed air sent from the refrigerated air dryer 3, and sends the compressed air, whose pressure has been stabilized by the storage, to the downstream stage. The capacity of the air tank 4 is determined taking into consideration the compressed air generation capacity of the air compressor 2, the amount of compressed air used by the downstream compressed air-using equipment, etc. The installation of the air tank 4 helps to suppress the water hammer effect of the fluid (compressed air) when the air compressor 2 starts or stops, and also helps to reduce the load on the compressed air-using equipment connected downstream.

[0026] The operation and function of the compressed air pressure circuit unit 1 according to the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. First, compressed air generated by the air compressor 2 flows into the gas-liquid separator 10 via the air piping 5. At this time, the compressed air contains a large amount of foreign matter (moisture, oil droplets, dust, etc.). Compressed air that flows into the gas-liquid separator 10, which is a cyclone separator, swirls at high speed due to its internal structure, and much of the water, oil droplets, and dust contained therein are separated and removed using the principle of centrifugal separation, before being sent to the downstream oil mist filter 11. At this point, the compressed air contains a small amount of water (water vapor) and oil mist (small oil droplets). The compressed air that flows into the oil mist filter 11 first comes into contact with the CO2 adsorption section to remove CO2, then passes through an element where the oil mist is separated and removed, and is then sent to the downstream refrigerated air dryer 3. At this point, the compressed air contains a small amount of moisture (water vapor). The compressed air that flows into the refrigerated air dryer 3 is cooled by the latent heat of evaporation of the refrigerant, and the water vapor that condenses as the dew point of the compressed air drops is discharged as drain, resulting in dry compressed air that is sent to the air tank 4. At this point, the compressed air is dry and clean, without containing any foreign matter. The compressed air that has flowed into the air tank 4 is temporarily stored therein so that the pressure is kept constant, and then the air is sent to the downstream device that uses the compressed air. This action makes it possible to remove oil mist before it flows into the refrigerated air dryer 3, and also makes it possible to remove moisture and oil droplets that cause deterioration of the oil mist filter 11 in advance in the gas-liquid separator 10.

[0027] The basic configuration and operation / function of the compressed air pressure circuit unit 1 according to the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in the above embodiment and the drawings. For example, an odor filter equipped with an activated carbon filter element that adsorbs odors may be provided downstream of the oil mist filter 11 to remove odors from the compressed air flowing into the refrigerated air dryer 3. This configuration provides the excellent effects of removing odor-causing microorganisms and malodorous substances from the compressed air flowing into the refrigerated air dryer 3, as well as preventing the proliferation of odor-causing microorganisms and the accumulation of malodorous substances within the refrigerated air dryer 3, which could cause odors to adhere to the compressed air being sent downstream.

[0028] As described above, the compressed air pressure circuit unit 1 according to the present invention is provided with the gas-liquid separator 10 and oil mist filter 11 upstream of the refrigerated air dryer 3, and by separating and removing moisture, oil droplets, and oil mist from the compressed air before it flows into the refrigerated air dryer 3, it is possible to suppress a decrease in cooling action due to the adhesion of oil mist inside the refrigerated air dryer 3, and it is easy to maintain the performance of the heat exchanger of the refrigerated air dryer 3. In addition, it is possible to send clean compressed air from which foreign matter and CO2 contained in the compressed air have been separated and recovered to compressed air-using equipment in the downstream stage, which is an excellent effect that the global environment can be improved without adding new equipment or changing the facility configuration. [Industrial Applicability]

[0029] The present invention separates and removes moisture, oil droplets, and oil mist contained in compressed air in the upstream stage of the air dryer, thereby keeping the inside of the air dryer clean, making it easy to maintain the cooling effect of the refrigerant, and enabling clean compressed air to be sent to the downstream stage.The present invention is not limited to a specific field, but can be used in compressed air circuits in all fields.Therefore, it is believed that the "compressed air circuit unit" of the present invention has great industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1 Compressed air pressure circuit unit 2. Air compressor 3 Refrigerated air dryer 4 Air Tanks 5 Air piping 6 Drain trap 10 Gas-liquid separator 11 Oil mist filter 12 Air filter

Claims

1. A compressed air pressure circuit unit, a gas-liquid separator; and an oil mist filter disposed downstream of the gas-liquid separator; is installed in front of the refrigerated air dryer, The oil mist filter includes an element made of a hollow cylindrical body for separating and removing oil mist, and a CO 2 absorption section for separating and removing CO 2 is provided in the hollow part of the element. The gas-liquid separator separates and removes drainage and oil droplets, A compressed air pressure circuit unit characterized in that in the oil mist filter, after CO 2 in the compressed air is separated and removed by the CO 2 absorption section, oil mist that tends to adhere to the inside of a refrigerated air dryer is separated and removed by the element.

2. 2. The compressed air pressure circuit unit according to claim 1, wherein the gas-liquid separator is a cyclone separator.

3. 2. The compressed air pressure circuit unit according to claim 1, further comprising an air filter disposed between the gas-liquid separator and the oil mist filter for separating and removing dust.

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