Compressed Air Drying via Recirculated Partial Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for drying compressed air require the compressor to be operational during startup, leading to energy and time wastage, and do not produce air of sufficient quality for sensitive industries like pharmaceuticals and semiconductors until fully conditioned.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a return line and pressure booster pump to recirculate a partial flow of dry compressed air, allowing for desorption and cooling without continuous compressor operation, and utilizes a heat exchanger to enhance desorption using external heat during startup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the compressor is operated during startup to generate compressed air for desorption, then the desorption process can be initiated, but energy is wasted and time is lost before sufficient dry air quality is achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-conditions the desiccant in the adsorption containers before actual operation by performing initial desorption and cooling cycles using stored heat from the heat exchanger, rather than waiting for compressor heat during startup. This preliminary preparation reduces the time needed to achieve sufficient dry air quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger serves as an intermediary energy storage device that accumulates heat during operation and releases it during startup phases, enabling desorption without immediate compressor operation. This mediator allows the system to decouple the timing of heat generation from heat utilization.
2Reliability
If the compressor operates continuously to provide heat for desorption, then the desorption and cooling phases can proceed, but compressed air of insufficient quality is produced and must be vented
Solution Approach 1:
The system monitors the quality of dried air and the state of the desiccant, using this feedback to determine when sufficient conditioning has been achieved. This allows the system to stop the conditioning process at the optimal moment, preventing both premature termination and excessive conditioning time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous useful action by recirculating and reusing the dried air within the system during the conditioning phase, rather than venting it. This maximizes the utilization of the limited dried air produced during startup while still achieving sufficient conditioning of the desiccant.
3Temperature
If additional cooling capacity is added to cool the desiccant during regeneration, then the cooling phase is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger performs multiple functions: it cools the desiccant during the cooling phase, pre-heats the compressed air during normal operation, and provides stored heat during startup. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate cooling devices, maintaining simplicity while achieving adequate cooling capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own dried air output to cool the desiccant during regeneration, rather than requiring external cooling equipment. The dried air, after serving its primary purpose, is recirculated through the heat exchanger to provide cooling, making the system self-sufficient and reducing overall complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables faster conditioning of adsorption tanks without wasting compressed air, improving the quality of dried air without additional energy expenditure and reducing residual moisture in the desiccant, thus meeting stringent industry standards.
Implementation Method 1
The desiccant contained therein adsorbs the moisture so that dry compressed air 14 is produced
Implementation Method 2
the bound moisture in the desiccant of the adsorption vessel in the regeneration mode by a hot stream of compressed air
Implementation Method 3
utilizes a heat exchanger to enhance desorption using external heat during startup
Implementation Method 4
the compressed air flow is further cooled by a cooler 12 and the water condensing as a result is separated in a droplet trap 13
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a facility for drying compressed air with at least two parallel-connected, drying agent-filled absorption containers (3, 4) which alternately are driven in absorption or regeneration mode. The drying agent dries the compressed air (8) in absorption mode, the moisture-laden drying agent is dried first by desorption and then cooled while in regeneration mode. The drying agent is dried with the heat found in the dried, moist compressed air (8). To increase the energy efficiency of the facility and the quality of the dried compressed air (14), the invention proposes that a stream (7) be branched off out of the dried compressed air after desorption is done in order to cool the absorption container (4) in regeneration mode and then to mix in the dried, moist compressed air after it has run through the absorption container (4) in absorption mode. This requires that a pump to increase pressure (17) be placed in the partial stream conduit(16) branching off from outlet line (15). This makes it possible to use the cooling phase as the second step of the regeneration process that can be carried out even if there is no airflow from the process.