Vehicle Body Drying Airflow Control with Waste Heat Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Temperature control devices for drying coated vehicle bodies consume significant energy due to the large size of the objects and required temperatures, leading to inefficiencies and increased operational costs.
Innovation Solution
A device with a temperature control room, fresh air, and recirculating air systems that adjust air volume flows to maintain a constant total volume flow, incorporating an afterburning device for VOC oxidation and a fresh air heat exchanger to utilize waste heat, allowing for efficient operation by varying fresh air and recirculated air proportions based on load conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the temperature control capacity of the device is reduced, then energy consumption is reduced, but the total volume flow supplied to the tempering chamber falls below the lower limit required for stable operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers waste heat from exhaust air using a heat exchanger to preheat fresh air supplied to the tempering chamber. This allows the system to maintain the required total volume flow and stable operation while reducing the energy needed for heating, as the waste heat compensates for part of the heating requirement when temperature control capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 2:
The control device dynamically adjusts the proportion of recirculated air and fresh air based on the temperature control capacity and load conditions. By changing the air composition parameters and utilizing waste heat recovery, the system maintains stable total volume flow while adapting to reduced energy input conditions
2Reliability
If the proportion of fresh air is increased to maintain total volume flow, then the lock function stability is improved, but the energy consumption increases due to heating requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger preheats the fresh air using waste heat from exhaust air before it enters the tempering chamber. This preliminary heating action reduces the energy burden on the temperature control system and allows the system to maintain stable operation with reduced fresh air proportions
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers thermal energy from exhaust air that would otherwise be wasted and uses it to preheat fresh air. This energy recovery mechanism allows the system to maintain lock function stability while reducing overall energy consumption
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 reduces energy consumption by maintaining a consistent air volume flow, stabilizing the lock function, and allowing for greater modulation of temperature control performance, thereby enhancing the device's efficiency and reducing installation complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a fresh air heat exchanger (112) is provided, which has a fresh air supply line (132) and a fresh air outlet (134) and is designed to temperature-control fresh air supplied to the temperature control chamber using exhaust air from the afterburner system
Implementation Method 2
The thermal combustion process, which occurs at temperatures above 500 °C, for example, between 500 and 700 °C, and typically uses fuels, can oxidize the organic compounds (VOCs) contained in the temperature control room exhaust air, thus purifying the exhaust air
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus for the temperature control of objects, in particular for drying coated vehicle bodies, with a temperature control chamber with at least one lock region, a fresh air device for producing fresh air which can be supplied to the temperature control chamber, a circulating air device which extracts exhaust air from the temperature control chamber and produces circulating air which can be supplied to the temperature control chamber, an air intake device for supplying air to the temperature control chamber, and a control device. According to the invention, it is provided that a fresh air volume flow and a circulating air volume flow can be supplied to the air intake device, and the control device is configured to control the fresh air volume flow and the circulating air volume flow in such a manner that the overall volume flow which is supplied to the temperature control chamber and comprises the fresh air volume flow and the circulating air volume flow does not fall below a lower limit. The invention also relates to a corresponding method.