CO2 and oil removal device and compressed air circuit equipped with the device

Abstract

We provide a CO2 and oil removal device that can effectively separate and remove CO2 and oil by bringing drainage discharged from a compressed air circuit into contact with calcium hydroxide and an oil adsorbent in that order. [Solution] The device is comprised of a cylindrical body having a hollow section and openings at the top and bottom, the hollow section of which is filled with granular calcium hydroxide capable of adsorbing CO2 and an oil adsorbent capable of separating and removing oil; a bottom body having an inlet at a predetermined location and capable of closing the lower open end of the hollow cylinder body via a fastening means; and a lid body having an outlet at a predetermined location and capable of closing the upper open end of the hollow cylinder body via a fastening means, and a means is adopted in which the drain flowing in from the inlet comes into contact with the calcium hydroxide and then the oil adsorbent.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a CO2 and oil removal device for compressed air circuits, and more specifically to a structure that can remove CO2 and oil in that order from drain generated in a compressed air circuit and discharge it as clean drain. [Background technology]

[0002] In a compressed air circuit, the compressed air compressed by the compressor contains a large amount of water vapor. This water vapor becomes drain when it is cooled by devices installed in the compressed air circuit or when it collides with the inner walls, and is discharged together with the compressed exhaust air through drain traps from outlets installed in each device.

[0003] At this time, the pressure inside each device where the drain is stored is high due to the compressed air, and so according to Henry's law, a large amount of gases such as CO2 dissolves in the drain in proportion to the pressure.As a result, when the drain from each device is discharged to the outside, the pressure on the drain also decreases at the same time, causing the CO2 dissolved in the drain to be released into the atmosphere, which was a problem. Another problem was that an increase in the CO2 concentration in the drain caused the drain to become acidic, accelerating the deterioration of oil adsorbents that came into contact with the drain. Therefore, there was a need for a means to efficiently clean the drain by first removing the CO2 contained in the drain and compressed air, and then removing the oil contained in the drain.

[0004] To solve the above problems, the present applicant developed a compressed air pressure circuit capable of removing CO2 from drain, and proposed the following technologies: Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. According to the technical proposal described in Patent Document 1, by disposing an oil separation section downstream of a drain trap and a CO2 separation section downstream of the oil separation section, it is possible to reduce the oil and CO2 content in drain discharged from the compressed air pressure circuit. Furthermore, according to the technical proposal described in Patent Document 2, by controlling the opening and closing operation of the drain trap while increasing the pressure in the collecting pipe where the drain joins, it is possible to increase the concentration of CO2 dissolved in the drain, and it is possible to efficiently separate and remove the oil and CO2 from the drain in an oil / CO2 separation tank connected to the collecting pipe. However, according to the technical proposal described in Patent Document 1, the CO2 separation section is arranged after the oil separation section, so the acidic drain comes into contact with the oil adsorbent first, and the above problem has not yet been solved. And according to the technical proposal described in Patent Document 2, the pressure of the drain flowing into the oil / CO2 separation tank is high, so the contact time with the packed adsorbent is shortened, and depending on the filling amount and filling order, there is a possibility that the CO2 may come into contact with the oil adsorbent before it can fully adsorb, and the above problem has not yet been solved.

[0005] The applicant focused on the problem of drainage coming into contact with an oil adsorbent in a highly acidic state as described above, and came up with the idea of ​​providing a structure that could separate and remove CO2 before it came into contact with an oil adsorbent. He developed a CO2 and oil removal device in which drainage discharged from a compressed air pressure circuit comes into contact with calcium hydroxide, which can separate and remove CO2, and then with an oil adsorbent, leading to the proposal of the "CO2 and oil removal device" of the present invention. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7496150 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7305226 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a CO2 and oil removal device that can effectively separate and remove CO2 and oil by bringing drain discharged from a compressed air pressure circuit into contact with calcium hydroxide and an oil adsorbent in that order. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the CO2 and oil removal device of the present invention consists of a cylindrical body having a hollow portion and openings at the top and bottom, the hollow portion of which is filled with granular calcium hydroxide capable of adsorbing CO2 and an oil adsorbent capable of separating and removing oil, a bottom body having an inlet at a predetermined location and capable of closing the lower open end of the hollow cylinder body via a fastening means, and a lid body having an outlet at a predetermined location and capable of closing the upper open end of the hollow cylinder body via a fastening means, and adopts a means whereby the drain flowing in from the inlet comes into contact with the calcium hydroxide and then the oil adsorbent.

[0009] The present invention also employs a means in which the calcium hydroxide is stored inside a mesh bag and can be taken in and out of the hollow cylindrical body.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention provides a compressed air pressure circuit comprising a drain trap provided in one or more devices and a CO2 and oil removal device according to claim 1 or 2 that can separate CO2 and oil contained in the drain and compressed air discharged from the drain trap, and employs means that can separate and remove CO2 and oil from the drain discharged from the compressed air. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the CO2 and oil removal device of the present invention, the drain flowing in from the inlet comes into contact with calcium hydroxide and then with the oil adsorbent, thereby achieving the excellent effect of allowing the drain to come into contact with the oil adsorbent in a state where the CO2 concentration and acidity of the drain are reduced due to the adsorption action of calcium hydroxide.

[0012] Furthermore, according to the CO2 and oil removal device of the present invention, calcium hydroxide is stored inside a mesh bag, which makes it possible to move the calcium hydroxide stored in the hollow cylindrical body in and out of the hollow cylindrical body using the bag, thereby achieving the excellent effect of enabling calcium hydroxide replacement work to be carried out quickly and easily. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a CO2 and oil removal device and a compressed air pressure circuit equipped with the device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the CO2 adsorption action of calcium hydroxide in an embodiment of the CO2 and oil removal device according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The greatest feature of the CO2 and oil removal device of the present invention is that when the drain discharged from the compressed air pressure circuit and the compressed air discharged together with the drain (hereinafter referred to as "compressed exhaust") flow into the hollow cylindrical body, they come into contact with calcium hydroxide and then with the oil adsorbent. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a CO2 and oil removal device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] The CO2 and oil removal device of 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, etc. that can achieve the same functional effects. In addition, the term "removed" in the present invention refers to a state in which a part or all of the material has been removed.

[0016] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a basic embodiment of a CO2 and oil removal device 1 according to the present invention and a compressed air pressure circuit 20 equipped with the device. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the CO2 adsorption action of calcium hydroxide 3 in an embodiment of the CO2 and oil removal device 1. In detail, (a) shows the state of calcium hydroxide 3 before drainage flows in, (b) shows the state when drainage comes into contact with calcium hydroxide 3, and (c) shows the state when part of calcium hydroxide 3 has become calcium carbonate 4 due to the CO2 adsorption action. The CO2 and oil removal device 1 of the present invention is installed in the drain discharge portion of the compressed air pressure circuit 20, and is mainly composed of a hollow cylindrical body 2, calcium hydroxide 3, an oil adsorbent material 5, a bottom body 6, and a lid body 8.

[0017] The hollow cylindrical body 2 is a cylindrical body having a hollow portion that can be filled with an adsorbent. The hollow cylindrical body 2 is a cylindrical body having a hollow portion and openings at the top and bottom. The external shape of the hollow cylindrical body 2 is not particularly limited as long as it is cylindrical, and may be a cylindrical shape or a polygonal cylindrical shape. The hollow portion of the hollow cylindrical body 2 is filled with calcium hydroxide 3 capable of adsorbing CO2 and an oil adsorbent 5 capable of adsorbing oil, and a bottom body 6 and a lid body 8 are attached to the lower and upper open ends, respectively, of the hollow cylindrical body 2. With this configuration, the CO2 and oil contained in the drain and compressed exhaust gas that flow into the device are separated and removed. There are no particular limitations on the materials that make up the hollow cylindrical body 2, but it is preferable to use a transparent or translucent material such as reinforced plastic or glass for part or all of it, so that the deterioration state of the filled adsorbent can be visually confirmed.

[0018] The calcium hydroxide 3 is a filler that separates and removes CO 2 from the drain that has flowed into the CO 2 and oil removal device 1 by filling the hollow portion on the inlet side of the hollow cylindrical body 2 . As shown in Figure 2, calcium hydroxide 3 (a) filled in the hollow cylindrical body 2 forms a layer of calcium hydroxide solution around it due to the drainage that flows in, and CO2 contained in the drainage is absorbed (b). Then, calcium hydroxide 3 that has absorbed CO2 has calcium carbonate 4 produced by a chemical reaction with CO2 attached to its periphery (c).

[0019] 1 and 2, the calcium hydroxide 3 is granular, and in order to prevent the calcium hydroxide 3 from flowing into the downstream oil adsorbent 5 when drainage flows in, it is preferable that the calcium hydroxide 3 is stored in advance in a mesh bag 10 and then placed in this state into the hollow cylindrical body 2. By adopting this mode, it is possible to fill and remove the calcium hydroxide 3 from the hollow cylindrical body 2 simply by inserting and removing the bag 10 containing the calcium hydroxide 3, which has the excellent effect of allowing the calcium hydroxide 3 to be replaced quickly and easily. Furthermore, the mesh of the bag body 10 used to store the calcium hydroxide 3 is naturally smaller than the particle size of the calcium hydroxide 3, and the size of the bag body 10 is large enough to fully fill the filling space of the calcium hydroxide 3. The calcium hydroxide 3, which has formed calcium carbonate 4 around it through a chemical reaction with the CO2 dissolved in the drain, is removed from the hollow cylindrical body 2 together with the bag 10 by replacement work, and then separated into calcium hydroxide 3 and calcium carbonate 4 by a separation method such as filtration. At this time, the calcium carbonate 4 removed by separation can be used as a material for concrete, etc.

[0020] The oil adsorbent 5 is a filler that separates and removes oil from CO 2 and the drain that has flowed into the oil removal device 1 by being filled in the hollow portion on the discharge side of the hollow cylindrical body 2 . The oil adsorbent 5 is a material that separates and adsorbs oil when drainage passes through it. Specifically, a material that absorbs and adsorbs oil when drainage and compressed exhaust gas pass through it is used. For example, activated carbon, microporous, cotton, polyethylene, polypropylene fiber, etc. are suitable. Furthermore, a preferred method for filling the hollow cylindrical body 2 is to process multiple of the above-mentioned materials capable of absorbing and adsorbing oil into fine granules or bellows-shaped sheets and layer them. By adopting this method, it is possible to sufficiently remove oil from drainage and compressed exhaust gas that has flowed into the oil adsorbent 5, contributing to further purification when drainage is discharged and compressed exhaust gas is discharged to the outside.

[0021] 1, a preferred embodiment is one in which a punched plate 11c is provided in the gap between the calcium hydroxide 3 and the oil adsorbent 5 as a partition for the drain flowing from the calcium hydroxide 3 side to the oil adsorbent 5. By adopting such an embodiment, it is possible to prevent problems such as the bag 10 containing the calcium hydroxide 3 moving freely due to the pressure of the drain flowing in and coming into contact with the oil adsorbent 5, or the oil adsorbent 5 falling downward due to its increased weight due to the absorption of oil.

[0022] The bottom body 6 closes the lower open end of the hollow cylindrical body 2 and connects an inlet 7 for drain and compressed exhaust gas to the lower part of the hollow cylindrical body 2 . The bottom body 6 has a size that allows it to close the lower open end of the hollow cylindrical main body 2, and is configured to have an inlet 7 connected to a discharge pipe 28 at a predetermined location (preferably approximately the center in plan view). The means for fastening the bottom body 6 to the lower open end of the hollow cylindrical main body 2 is not particularly limited, but for example, it is attached by fastening means such as screws.

[0023] The inlet 7 is provided in the bottom body 6 and serves to send drain and compressed exhaust gas discharged from the compressed air pressure circuit 20 via a piping (a collecting pipe 29 ) into the hollow part of the hollow cylindrical main body 2 . By making the size of the inlet 7 approximately the same as the pipe diameter of the collecting pipe 29, it is possible to reduce the change in pressure when the drain and compressed exhaust gas flow in, and to prevent CO2 dissolved in the drain due to high pressure from being released into the hollow part, which is now in a low-pressure state, which is an excellent effect.

[0024] The lid 8 closes the upper open end of the hollow cylindrical body 2 and is provided with an outlet 9 through which the drain and compressed exhaust gas that have been purified by passing through the calcium hydroxide 3 and oil adsorbent 5 filled in the hollow part of the hollow cylindrical body 2 can be sent to the subsequent stage. The lid 8 has a size that allows it to close the upper open end of the hollow cylindrical main body 2, and is configured to have a discharge outlet 9 at a predetermined location (preferably approximately the center in plan view). The means for fastening the lid 8 to the upper open end of the hollow cylindrical body 2 is not particularly limited, but for example, it is attached by fastening means such as screws.

[0025] The outlet 9 is provided on the cover 8 and sends the clean water (cleaned drain) and compressed exhaust gas to the subsequent stage by passing through the calcium hydroxide 3 and the oil adsorbent 5. The size of the outlet 9 is approximately the same as the diameter of the pipe connected to the outside, which has the excellent effect of maintaining the pressure of the drain and compressed exhaust within the hollow part, suppressing the release of CO2 dissolved in the drain, and increasing the efficiency of CO2 capture by the filler material.

[0026] With the above structure, the drain flowing in from the inlet 7 comes into contact with the calcium hydroxide 3 and then the oil adsorbent 5, thereby achieving the excellent effect of allowing the drain to come into contact with the oil adsorbent 5 in a state where the CO2 concentration and acidity of the drain have been reduced due to the adsorption action of the calcium hydroxide 3.

[0027] With regard to the flow paths for the drain and compressed exhaust gas that flow into the hollow cylindrical body 2 from the inlet 7 and are discharged to the outside from the outlet 9, a preferred embodiment is one in which perforated plates 11 are provided at the bottom surface filled with calcium hydroxide 3 and at the top surface filled with oil adsorbent 5, thereby enabling the formation of a flow path inside the hollow cylindrical body 2 in which the drain and compressed exhaust flow through perforated plate 11a on the inlet 7 side, pass through each filler, and are discharged from perforated plate 11b on the outlet 9 side. The punched plate 11a on the inlet side provided in this manner has a plurality of holes with a diameter smaller than the shape of the calcium hydroxide 3, and the punched plate 11b on the outlet side has a plurality of holes with a total cross-sectional area approximately equal to that of the holes provided in the punched plate 11a. By adopting this mode, it is possible to prevent the calcium hydroxide 3 from falling, and to maintain the pressure at the time of drain inflow without a significant drop until the time of discharge from the discharge port 9, and it is possible to efficiently adsorb CO2 dissolved in the drain due to high pressure onto the calcium hydroxide 3 without releasing it within the hollow cylindrical body 2. Furthermore, because the flow paths for the inflowing drain and compressed exhaust air are divided into flow paths the same number as the number of holes provided in the punched plate 11, it is possible to increase the number of contact points between the packed calcium hydroxide 3 and the oil adsorbent 5, and to maximize the adsorption effect of the filler on CO2 and oil.

[0028] The main operations and actions of the CO2 and oil removal device 1 configured as above will now be described. The drain and compressed exhaust air discharged from the compressed air pressure circuit 20 flow into the hollow cylindrical body 2 through the inlet 7 of the bottom body 6 . The drain and compressed exhaust gas that flow into the hollow cylindrical body 2 come into contact with and pass through the calcium hydroxide 3 filled in the hollow section, causing the CO2 contained in each to be separated and removed. At this time, the calcium hydroxide 3 that has adsorbed the CO2 changes into calcium carbonate 4 through a chemical reaction, and the weight increases by the amount of CO2 adsorbed.

[0029] Next, the drain and compressed exhaust gas that have passed through the calcium hydroxide 3 come into contact with and pass through the oil adsorbent 5, causing the oil contained therein to be separated and removed. Because the CO2 concentration of the drain and compressed exhaust gas has been reduced compared to when they first came in due to contact with the calcium hydroxide 3, their acidity is also reduced, and deterioration of the oil adsorbent 5 is suppressed compared to when they are in normal use. The drain and compressed exhaust gas that have passed through the oil adsorbent 5 and become clean are then discharged to the outside through a discharge port 9 provided in the lid 8 .

[0030] The compressed air pressure circuit 20 sends compressed air generated by a compressor 21 to a utilization device connected downstream, and depending on the usage mode of the utilization device, various devices are arranged, such as an air tank 22 for temporarily storing the compressed air, an air dryer 23 for lowering the temperature by drying the compressed air, and an air filter 24 for separating and removing foreign matter such as dust contained in the compressed air. There are no particular limitations on the type and number of devices arranged in the compressed air pressure circuit 20, and these are determined appropriately depending on the purpose of using the compressed air and the equipment to be used. Furthermore, piping capable of supplying compressed air is naturally provided between the air compressor 21 and each device and equipment to be used. At this time, the water vapor contained in the compressed air adheres to and binds with the inner walls and piping of each device, generating drain water, which is then sent out through the exhaust pipes 28 provided in each device and the drain trap 25 to the collecting pipe 29.

[0031] The drain trap 25 is provided in one or more of various devices arranged in the compressed air pressure circuit 20, and mechanically discharges drainage generated in the various devices. The drain trap 25 is provided near the bottom of the various devices at the location where drain is generated, and sends the drain generated in the various devices to a collecting pipe 29 via a discharge pipe 28 connected to the drain trap 25. Drain trap 25 is available in various types, such as electromagnetic and float types, depending on the discharge method, but there is no particular limitation and it is sufficient to use a conventionally known type. Furthermore, when drain trap 25 discharges, compressed air remaining near the drain is also discharged along with the drain, so that compressed exhaust air with pressure flows out into discharge pipe 28.

[0032] The discharge pipe 28 is a pipe whose base end is connected to the drain trap 25 and capable of sending drainage and compressed exhaust gas discharged from various devices to a subsequent stage. The discharge pipe 28 is connected at its tip to a collecting pipe 29, which is a single pipe, and the two are joined together, and the CO 2 and oil removal device 1 flows into the device. In addition, it is preferable that a check valve 27 is provided near the connection point between the discharge pipe 28 and the collecting pipe 29. By adopting this configuration, if a problem occurs with the discharge of condensate, it is possible to prevent the condensate and compressed exhaust gas discharged from the various devices from flowing back inside the discharge pipe 28, and to prevent the condensate from entering the drain trap 25 and the various devices in the compressed air pressure circuit 20.

[0033] The collecting pipe 29 is a pipe that joins the discharge pipe 28 into one flow path, and sends the drain and compressed exhaust gas discharged by the drain trap 25 to the outside after passing through the CO2 and oil removal device 1. In addition, by providing a valve 26 between the various devices and the drain trap 25, it is possible to temporarily stop the discharge of newly generated drain and compressed exhaust gas from the various devices by closing the provided valve 26 when performing work such as repairing or replacing the drain trap 25 or performing maintenance on the CO2 and oil removal device 1.

[0034] The main operations and functions of the compressed air pressure circuit 20 configured as above will now be described. First, compressed air generated by air compressor 21 passes through foreign matter removal devices arranged downstream, namely air tank 22, air dryer 23, and air filter 24, and is then sent as clean compressed air to the equipment to be used. During this process, drainage water accumulated in the lower parts of air tank 22, air dryer 23, and air filter 24 is mechanically discharged by drain traps 25 provided at predetermined locations in each device and sent to discharge pipe 28, and compressed air remaining near the drainage water also flows into discharge pipe 28 together with the drainage water as compressed exhaust air due to the discharge operation of drain trap 25. The drainage water and compressed exhaust air flowing through each discharge pipe 28 then join in a collecting pipe 29 and flow into CO2 and oil removal device 1. The drain and compressed exhaust gas that flow into the CO2 and oil removal device 1 are passed through calcium hydroxide 3 and oil adsorbent 5 filled inside the device, where CO2 and oil are removed, and the clean drain and compressed exhaust gas are then discharged to the outside.

[0035] The basic configuration, operation, and function of the CO2 and oil removal device according to the present invention and the compressed air circuit equipped with said device have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in the above embodiment or drawings. For example, it is also possible to consider an embodiment in which the CO2 and oil removal device is disposed on the compressed air-using equipment side of the compressed air circuit as a device for removing CO2 contained in clean compressed air, thereby reducing the CO2 concentration in the compressed air sent to the compressed air-using equipment.

[0036] As described above, the CO2 and oil removal device of the present invention is capable of efficiently removing CO2 and oil contained in the drain discharged from each device, simplifying the calcium hydroxide replacement work, reducing deterioration of the oil adsorbent, and contributing to the creation of clean drain and compressed exhaust with reduced CO2 concentration. [Industrial Applicability]

[0037] The present invention can be used as a drain discharge structure that contributes to reducing CO2 emissions from drains and compressed exhaust air in all fields that use compressed air, such as manufacturing and processing industries, cleaning industries, dentistry, etc., and also plays a part in measures to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere, which is said to be a cause of global warming. Therefore, it is believed that the "CO2 and oil removal device and compressed air pressure circuit equipped with said device" according to the present invention has great industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 CO2 and oil removal device 2. Hollow cylinder body 3. Calcium hydroxide 4. Calcium carbonate 5. Oil absorbent 6 Bottom body 7 Inlet 8 Lid 9 Outlet 10 Bag body 11a Punching plate (inlet side) 11b Punching plate (discharge port side) 11c Punching plate (divider) 20 Compressed air pressure circuit 21 Compressor 22 Air Tank 23 Air dryer 24 Air filter 25 Drain trap 26 Valves 27 Check valve 28 Discharge pipe 29 Collecting pipe

Claims

1. It consists of a cylindrical body having a hollow portion and openings at the top and bottom, and CO ２ a hollow cylinder body filled with granular calcium hydroxide capable of adsorbing oil and an oil adsorbent capable of separating and removing oil; a bottom body having an inlet at a predetermined location and capable of closing a lower open end of the hollow cylindrical body via a fastening means; a cover body that has a discharge port at a predetermined location and that can close the upper open end of the hollow cylindrical body via a fastening means; A CO2 absorbing system characterized in that drainage flowing in from an inlet comes into contact with calcium hydroxide and an oil adsorbent in that order. ２ and oil removal equipment.

2. 2. The CO 2 solution according to claim 1, wherein the calcium hydroxide is contained in a mesh bag and can be taken in and out from the hollow cylindrical body. ２ and oil removal equipment.

3. A drain trap provided in one or more devices, and CO contained in the drain and compressed air discharged from the drain trap. ２ and the CO according to claim 1 or 2, which can separate oil. ２ and an oil removal device, CO in drain discharged from compressed air ２ and a compressed air circuit capable of separating and removing oil.

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