Compressed Gas Dryer with Subdivided Outlet Zone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dryers for compressed gas lack efficiency improvements, particularly in maintaining low relative humidity and pressure dew point stability, and have inefficient or bulky structures.
Innovation Solution
A dryer design with a pressure vessel containing a drying zone and regeneration zone, featuring a subdivided outlet zone and integrated heating/cooling elements within the vessel, optimizing gas flow and utilizing intrinsic heat for enhanced drying and compact construction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a large volume storage tank is used to store compressed gas, then the storage capacity is improved, but the risk of bacterial growth and contamination increases due to prolonged gas stagnation
Solution Approach 1:
The dryer is installed in the gas line before the storage tank to pre-dry the compressed gas. This preliminary drying action removes moisture from the gas before it enters the storage tank, preventing bacterial growth and contamination during storage without reducing storage capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the harmful moisture component from the compressed gas using a dryer unit with desiccant material. By taking out the moisture before storage, the system maintains large storage capacity while eliminating the condition that enables bacterial growth
2Adaptability or versatility
If compressed gas is distributed to multiple consumers through a common storage tank, then the system versatility is improved, but the gas quality deteriorates due to contamination risk
Solution Approach 1:
The dryer performs preliminary drying of the compressed gas before distribution to multiple consumers. This ensures that the gas is already dried and free from contamination risks before entering the distribution network, maintaining gas quality while enabling versatile distribution
Solution Approach 2:
The dryer acts as an intermediary device between the compressor and the distribution network. It mediates the gas quality by removing moisture and preventing contamination before the gas reaches the storage tank and distribution system, thereby protecting gas quality while maintaining system versatility
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a drying unit is installed in the compressed gas line, then the gas quality is improved by removing moisture, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dryer unit operates autonomously using the kinetic energy of the flowing compressed gas itself. The gas flow passes through the desiccant material in the dryer, and the system automatically regenerates or maintains its drying function without requiring external power sources or complex control systems, thus improving gas quality while minimizing added 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
The design achieves improved control over the dried gas characteristics, maintains low relative humidity, stabilizes pressure dew point, and ensures efficient operation with a more compact structure.
Implementation Method 1
a desiccant unit configured to dry the compressed gas in the compressed gas line
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
Dryer for compressed gas, comprising a pressure vessel containing a drying zone and a regeneration zone, a drum within the rotation symmetrical part, equipped with a regenerable drying agent; driving means for rotating the aforementioned drum so that the drying agent is successively moved through the drying zone and the regeneration zone, an inlet for the supply of the compressed air to be dried to the drying zone, an outlet for the removal of the dried compressed gas, and a first connection line for branching off of a partial stream of the dried compressed gas and transfer of this partial stream to the regeneration zone. The drying zone is on outlet side is subdivided using a divider into a first outlet zone with which the outlet is connected for the dried compressed gas, and a second outlet zone with which the first connection line is connected.