Dryer for compressed gas, compressor installation provided with such a dryer and method for drying gas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing compressed gas dryers face challenges in maintaining high efficiency and preventing dew point peaks, especially during startup, due to inadequate pressure buildup and potential leaks between the regeneration and drying zones.
Innovation Solution
The dryer incorporates an intermediate zone between the regeneration and drying zones, with a blower in the tap-off pipe to increase pressure and prevent leaks, and an optional heating element to enhance deep drying, ensuring efficient gas flow and reduced energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire compressed gas flow is guided through the regeneration zone and then through the drying zone, then the drying agent is effectively regenerated, but pressure buildup is insufficient and leaks may occur between zones
Solution Approach 1:
An intermediate zone is introduced between the regeneration zone and drying zone to act as a pressure buffer and isolation chamber. This intermediate zone prevents direct communication between the two zones, eliminating leak risks while allowing independent pressure management. The intermediate zone serves as a mediator that decouples the pressure requirements of the regeneration and drying operations.
2Reliability
If a blower is installed in the connecting pipe to increase pressure, then leaks are prevented, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blower is extracted from the main gas flow path and relocated to only handle the intermediate gas flow in the intermediate zone. This extraction reduces the blower's workload from managing the entire compressed gas flow to merely maintaining pressure in the intermediate zone, significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining leak prevention functionality.
3Reliability
If an intermediate zone is added to the dryer, then pressure control and leak prevention are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate zone is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a pressure buffer, prevents leaks between zones, provides an isolation chamber, and facilitates efficient gas flow distribution. By consolidating these functions into a single zone rather than requiring separate components for each function, the overall device complexity is minimized while achieving reliable pressure control and leak prevention.
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 achieves high dryer efficiency, deep drying of the gas, and prevents dew point peaks by maintaining pressure and reducing energy consumption, ensuring reliable operation across various conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The moist gas that leaves the regeneration zone is then guided through a cooler in the connecting pipe such that the temperature of this gas falls below the pressure dew point and condensation of the moisture present in this gas occurs.
Implementation Method 2
whereby the drying agent extracts moisture from this compressed gas by means of sorption (adsorption and/or absorption)
Implementation Method 3
there is a blower to increase the pressure of the gas flow in order to ensure that the pressure at the outlet of the drying zone is higher than the pressure at the inlet of the regeneration zone
Data Source
AI summary
A dryer for a compressed gas provided with a vessel with a drying agent and a drying zone and a regeneration zone; at least one intermediate zone that, viewed in the direction of rotation of the drum, is situated between the regeneration zone and the drying zone and which is provided with a separate inlet and an outlet that is shared with or connected to the outlet of the regeneration zone; a tap-off pipe that branches off from the outlet of the drying zone and connects to the aforementioned separate inlet of the intermediate zone; one or more blowers in the tap-off pipe for effectuating an intermediate flow from the drying zone, where the dryer is configured such that the entire flow of gas to be dried supplied to the dryer is first guided through the regeneration zone.