Air Cooling Tower and Purifier Layout for Narrow Cryogenic Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing air cooling and purification apparatus for cryogenic air distillation units has a large footprint due to its wide and tall configuration, making it challenging to install in buildings with limited width or existing structures that are long and narrow, as it requires a significant amount of space for the set of valves and pipes.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus is redesigned with a cooling tower by direct contact with water placed between two vertical purification bottles, where the assembly is positioned with the bottles and tower outside the building, and the pipes and valves are routed through the wall, allowing the center of the tower to be aligned between the bottles, forming a compact configuration with a height-to-width ratio less than 1, thus reducing the overall width.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the set of valves and pipes is designed with a traditional layout, then the assembly is functional for air purification, but the width and footprint of the assembly become excessively large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reconfigures the assembly by placing the cooling tower between the two purification bottles in a linear arrangement, transforming the spatial layout from a wide dispersion to a compact linear configuration. This dimensional reorganization reduces the width requirement while maintaining all necessary functional connections through optimized piping routes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent integrates the cooling tower directly into the assembly between the purification bottles, merging previously separate components (cooling tower, bottles, pipes, valves) into a unified compact structure. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate wide spacing between components, reducing overall footprint.
2Area of stationary object
If the cooling tower is placed between the two purification bottles with a linear arrangement, then the width of the assembly is reduced, but the height-to-width ratio becomes much less than 1
Solution Approach 1:
The patent accepts the changed aspect ratio (height-to-width less than 1) as a necessary transformation to achieve the primary goal of width reduction. The linear arrangement inherently creates a longer, narrower profile, which is deliberately chosen to fit space-constrained applications where width is the limiting dimension.
3Area of stationary object
If the assembly is configured to reduce width for installation in narrow buildings, then the building width requirement is minimized, but the center distance between purification bottles must be optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the cooling tower centrally between the purification bottles, merging all three components into a tight linear cluster. This central placement minimizes the center distance between bottles while maintaining the cooling tower's functional requirements, achieving compactness without sacrificing performance.
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 configuration significantly reduces the building's width requirements, allowing for efficient installation in various building layouts by minimizing the horizontal footprint while maintaining functionality, and can include additional components like compressors, turbines, and distillation columns.
Implementation Method 1
cooling tower by direct contact with water
Implementation Method 2
air is compressed in a compressor and then cooled by direct heat exchange with air in a cooling tower
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
An apparatus for cooling and purifying a stream of air comprises a building, a cooling tower (1), for cooling by direct contact with water, two purification bottles (3A, 3B), each of vertical axis, a pipe for sending water to the cooling tower, a pipe for sending air to the cooling tower, a pipe for sending cooled air from the tower to the purification bottles and a system of valves and piping (7) for connecting the two bottles to the cooling tower, this assembly being located inside the building (5), and the two bottles and the tower being outside the building, the two bottles and the assembly being placed on either side of a wall (9) of the building, the bottles being placed along the wall and the tower being positioned between the two bottles.