Cooling arrangement and method for cooling a compressed-air generator with at least two stages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing compressed air generator systems face inefficiencies in cooling and heat recovery, relying on cooling air that often results in heat loss or inefficient recovery, with a need for more effective heat management to avoid overheating and reduce equipment costs.
Innovation Solution
A cooling arrangement for a two-stage compressed air generator using liquid-cooled intercoolers and aftercoolers, along with a liquid-cooled assembly cooler, where a coolant circuit with a main cooler efficiently dissipates heat from the system, allowing for targeted coolant feeding to maintain high temperatures and enable heat recovery through a heat exchanger.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If cooling air is used to cool the compressed air generator, then the cooling system is simple, but heat recovery is inefficient and heat loss occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies hydraulic cooling by using a liquid coolant (water or water-glycol mixture) instead of air cooling. The coolant circulates through channels in the housing, absorbing heat from the compressed air and components. This hydraulic approach enables efficient heat recovery while maintaining system simplicity, directly resolving the contradiction between cooling system simplicity and heat recovery efficiency.
2Productivity
If the coolant temperature is lowered to improve cooling efficiency, then cooling performance increases, but the temperature difference for heat recovery decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cooling function into two separate circuits: a first coolant circuit for heat recovery that maintains higher temperatures, and a second coolant circuit for component cooling that uses lower temperatures. This segmentation allows each circuit to be optimized independently - the first circuit preserves temperature for efficient heat recovery while the second circuit provides aggressive cooling for components, resolving the contradiction between cooling efficiency and heat recovery temperature requirements.
3Loss of energy
If a heat exchanger is added to recover heat, then heat recovery efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing serves multiple functions: it contains the compressed air generator, provides cooling channels for the first coolant circuit to enable heat recovery, and houses the second coolant circuit for component cooling. By making the housing multi-functional, the patent achieves efficient heat recovery without adding separate heat exchanger components, thus improving heat recovery efficiency while minimizing increases in device complexity.
4Ease of operation
If separate cooling circuits are used for different components, then cooling precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic cooling system with a control unit that monitors temperatures and dynamically adjusts coolant flow distribution between the first and second circuits. The control unit can redirect coolant based on real-time thermal conditions, allowing precise cooling control for different components while simplifying the overall system architecture through intelligent control rather than complex fixed infrastructure.
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 enhances cooling efficiency, reduces equipment size and costs, and allows for more effective heat recovery, maintaining high temperatures for efficient heat transfer and utilization.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid-cooled intercooler arranged between a first and a second compressor stage to cool the pre-compressed air delivered by the first compressor stage
Implementation Method 2
a liquid-cooled aftercooler arranged after the second compressor stage to cool the air compressed by it
Implementation Method 3
a liquid-cooled sub-cooler is provided to absorb heat from other components of the compressed air generator
Implementation Method 4
a main cooler, the cold side of which supplies coolant to the respective coolant inlet of the intercooler, the aftercooler and the sub-cooler, and the hot side of which receives the heated coolant exiting the intercooler and the aftercooler
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a cooling arrangement for an at least two-stage compressed air generator (01). The cooling arrangement comprises an intercooler (04) which is located between a first and a second compressor stage (02, 03), an aftercooler (05) which is located downstream of the second compressor stage (03), and a component cooler (08) which receives heat from additional components of the compressed air generator (01). A coolant circuit comprises a main cooler (07), the cold side of which supplies a cooled coolant at a low temperature to the coolant inlet of the intercooler (04), to the coolant inlet of the aftercooler (05), and to the coolant inlet of the component cooler (08) in parallel, and the hot side of which receives, at a high temperature, the heated coolant which exits at the coolant outlet of the intercooler (04) and at the coolant outlet of the aftercooler (05) in parallel. The coolant outlet of the component cooler (08) is connected to a feed inlet (12) of the intercooler (04) and/or of the aftercooler (05). The feed inlet (12) is located between the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet at a position at which the intermediate temperature of the coolant in the intercooler (04) and in the aftercooler (05) corresponds to the outlet temperature of the coolant at the component cooler (08) ±20%. The invention also relates to a method for cooling an at least two-stage compressed air generator.