Cooling arrangement and method for cooling an at least two-stage compressed air generator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current compressed air generators face inefficiencies in cooling and heat recovery, with excessive heat being lost or recovered inefficiently through cooling air, leading to increased equipment costs and reduced operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A cooling arrangement featuring a liquid-cooled intercooler and aftercooler with a coolant circuit that includes a main cooler and a subassembly cooler, where the coolant is fed to the intercooler and aftercooler at an intermediate temperature from the subassembly cooler, optimizing heat transfer and allowing for efficient heat recovery, and optionally using a heat exchanger for further heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If cooling air is used to cool the compressed air generator, then the cooling system is simple, but heat recovery is inefficient and heat is lost to the environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces air cooling with a liquid coolant system. The coolant circulates through coolers (intercooler, aftercooler, subassembly cooler) to absorb heat from compressed air and subassemblies, then transports this heat to a heat exchanger for recovery. This hydraulic cooling system enables efficient heat recovery while maintaining manageable system complexity through integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful waste heat that was previously lost to the environment into a beneficial resource. By using the coolant system to capture heat from compressed air and subassemblies, and then transferring it via a heat exchanger to a heat consumer, the system recovers energy that would otherwise be wasted, turning a disadvantage into an advantage.
2Loss of energy
If a heat exchanger is added to recover heat, then heat recovery efficiency improves, but equipment cost and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The coolant serves multiple functions: it cools the compressed air in the intercooler and aftercooler, cools the subassemblies (drives, power electronics), and simultaneously transports heat to the heat exchanger for recovery. This multi-functional design allows heat recovery without requiring separate cooling systems, reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the cooling function and heat recovery function into a single integrated system. The coolant circuit combines cooling passages for compressed air and subassemblies with heat transport to the heat exchanger, creating a unified system that achieves both cooling and heat recovery objectives simultaneously.
3Temperature
If coolant temperature is reduced to improve cooling efficiency, then cooling performance improves, but heat recovery efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different temperature requirements to different parts of the system. The coolant absorbs heat at elevated temperatures from the compressed air and subassemblies (maintaining high temperature for heat recovery), while the heat exchanger efficiently transfers this heat to the heat consumer. This localized temperature management maintains both cooling and heat recovery efficiency.
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 solution enables efficient cooling of compressed air generators, reduces equipment costs, and enhances heat recovery by maintaining high temperatures in the coolant circuit, allowing for a smaller main cooler and more efficient heat transfer, with the majority of waste heat being recoverable for external use.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid-cooled intercooler, which is arranged between a first and a second compressor stage, in order to cool the precompressed air discharged from the first compressor stage
Implementation Method 2
a coolant circuit runs via a main cooler, the cold side of which supplies a coolant to the respective coolant inlet of the intercooler, of the aftercooler and of the subassembly cooler
Implementation Method 3
The hot side of the main cooler receives the heated coolant directly from the respective coolant outlet of the intercooler (or the plurality of intercoolers) and of the aftercooler
Implementation Method 4
a heat exchanger, in order to transfer the heat, which is fed to the coolant, to a heat carrier medium
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling arrangement for an at least two-stage compressed air generator. The cooling arrangement comprises an intercooler arranged between a first and a second compressor stage, an aftercooler arranged after the second compressor stage, and a subassembly cooler, which absorbs heat from further subassemblies of the compressed air generator. A coolant circuit comprises a main cooler, the cold side supplying a cooled coolant parallel to the respective coolant inlet of the intercooler, of the aftercooler and of the subassembly cooler, and the hot side receiving the heated coolant exiting in parallel at the respective coolant outlet of the intercooler and of the aftercooler. The coolant outlet of the subassembly cooler is connected to a feed inlet of the intercooler and/or of the aftercooler.