Heat exchange – With first fluid holder or collector open to second fluid – Separate external discharge port for each fluid
Patent
1994-11-22
1998-03-31
Leo, Leonard R.
Heat exchange
With first fluid holder or collector open to second fluid
Separate external discharge port for each fluid
165112, 165113, 62 86, 62401, 95288, F28B 910
Patent
active
057327661
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the production of compressed air or for the treatment of gas streams at elevated temperatures to cool them to temperatures near or below ambient temperature, so that once this cooling has taken place further condensation of vapor present as a contaminant of the gas streams does not occur or does so only to a negligible extent.
BACKGROUND ART
Condensed water vapor can reduce the performance of oil removal filters, membrane filters and other fine tolerance devices. The invention is also concerned with the removal of liquid contaminant e.g. water, together with less volatile contaminants such as the oil from an oil-lubricated compressor and liquid and/or particulate contaminants from an oil-free compressor.
Relatively small on-site compressors powered by mains electricity (or other sources of power) are required to deliver streams of contaminant-free dry compressed gas for a variety of uses. Such compressors are typically rates up to 2 KW and deliver compressed gas at a pressure of up to 12 bar and at flow rate up to 5 scf/min. The compressed gas finds application, for example, in spray painting in small factories and vehicle repair, in supply of compressed gas for dentistry, in compressed air systems for hospitals and laboratories, and in the catering industry. The compressed gas may be contaminated with oil in the form of both mist and vapor and with water from the air. For efficient removal of oil mist, it is known that water needs to be removed first, because it will otherwise interfere with the action of the conventional oil-coalescing filter and oil-vapour removal cartridge variously described, for example in GB-A-1236396, GB-A-1557821, GB-A-1603519, U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,484 and EP-B-0081297. Water can be removed by passing the stream of compressed gas through a desiccant drier or a refrigerator drier. The former method involves regeneration or disposal of the desiccant medium, and the latter method requires disposal of relatively large volumes of contaminated liquid waster.
One such application for a compressor is in the supply of compressed air to a membrane air separation system which can deliver 99.5% pure nitrogen for mixing with carbon dioxide in the dispensing of beer in public houses. A system of this kind is sold by Calor Gas Limited, Air Separation Division, Slough, UK. The air fed to the membrane has to be clean, dry and contaminant free, otherwise the performance of the separator may be interfered with. However, about 300 ml of condensate is typically formed each day in the gas stream from the compressor, that condensate consisting mainly of water which is contaminated with particulate material and the product of wear to the compressor including bearing lubrication and/or oil if an oil lubricated compressor is used. This contaminated water or water-oil mixture usually cannot be disposed of as ordinary waste water because of increasingly strict environmental health regulations.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The invention is not, however, confined to relatively small compressors and can be used for medium sized or larger compressors.
Broadly stated, this invention avoids the need to deal with volume of waster watery liquid by feeding the compressed gas to a liquid separation chamber and continuously or intermittently discharging from a lower region of the chamber a compressed stream which is returned to atmospheric pressure and which carries the watery liquid in an atomised or vapor state. In this way, the need to provide a liquid drain valve at the base of the chamber can be avoided in many instances, or in some instances where there is a risk of liquid effluent collecting at the base of the chamber under some conditions, the frequency of use of the drain and the volume of aqueous liquid drained is reduced. Collection of condensate after evaporation has proved to be minimal or nil in practice. The re-expanded waste stream which is at ambient or below-ambient temperatures may be used to cool the incoming stream of compres
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Hunter Alex George
Hunter George Sherwood
Oakton John Leslie
Leo Leonard R.
Process Scientific Innovations Limited
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