The present disclosure relates to air dehumidification and desorption regeneration techniques, and, more particularly, to a drying device composed of desiccant wheels or a combination of desiccant wheels and adsorbent, and a drying apparatus using the same.
With the industrial processes tending towards increasing automation and precision, the requirements for air quality in the manufacturing sites and equipment have become more stringent. It is desirable to ensure the proper rate of the manufacturing processes, wherein the humidity of the compressed air is very important for a variety of processes, and humidity control has become one of the major research areas in which the manufacturers are focusing.
A conventional adsorption type compressed air drying device generally includes two adsorption towers for adsorption of the moisture in the compressed air. In general, the adsorption towers are filled with adsorbent capable of adsorption dehumidification and desorption regeneration, such as silica gel particles, a zeolite molecular sieve or activated charcoal etc. When compressed air containing a higher percentage of moisture enters into one of the adsorption towers through a pipeline, moisture adsorption dehumidification treatment is carried out, and dry compressed air after the treatment will be guided to a storage tank for use later on. At this time, the moisture adsorbed by the adsorbent inside the adsorption towers can be desorbed using thermal energy, usually through a heater. In other words, the thermal energy required for the desorption regeneration of the adsorbent in the adsorption towers is provided by the heater. During the desorption regeneration process, through a method such as radiation, convection, solid heat transfer or the like, hot air for desorption regeneration is heated up to a temperature that enables desorption of the moisture in the adsorbent and then guided into the adsorption towers, in which desorption regeneration of the adsorbent is performed. Thereafter, hot and humid compressed air is guided and exhausted out of the adsorption towers, completing the desorption regeneration treatment of the adsorbent, allowing the adsorbent to be reused for adsorption dehumidification again.
It is clear from the above that there will be heat transfer between the hot air used for desorption regeneration and the walls of the pipeline transferring the hot air, resulting in energy loss. In addition, during desorption regeneration, thermal energy is transmitted to the adsorbent by convection of hot air, there may be uneven heat distribution in the adsorption bed in that the inlet for the hot air is the hottest while the outlet is the coldest. Thus, the time for regeneration is inevitably lengthened. Moreover, during the heating process, excess low-temperature waste hot air has to be vented out first, thus resulting in the conventional adsorption compressed air drying device energy intensive.
Therefore, in view of the energy loss of various thermal energy desorption regeneration methods or the uneven distribution of regeneration temperature in the pipeline and energy loss of the direct heating desorption regeneration method described above, there is still room for improvement in the existing compressed air dehumidifying technology and equipment, in particular, the shortcoming of poor regeneration efficiency due to energy loss is addressed.
The present disclosure provides a drying device which includes desiccant wheels or desiccant wheels combined with an adsorbent, and a drying apparatus using two drying devices composed of the plurality of desiccant wheels or two drying devices each being a combination of the plurality of desiccant wheels and the adsorbent. The drying apparatus includes a plurality of desiccant wheels composed of direct heating desorption substrates, or a plurality of desiccant wheels composed of direct heating desorption substrates and an adsorbent. The two desiccant wheel drying devices further include two pressure tanks capable of performing adsorption dehumidification and regeneration desorption of moisture in compressed air. The two pressure tanks exchange functions in batches to achieve the moisture adsorption of the compressed air and the regeneration desorption of the adsorbent. When performing the dehumidification and desorption regeneration, the structures of the air flow paths in the desiccant wheel drying devices can obtain an equalized temperature rise control by a temperature compensation method using a preheater and the divisional temperature control method of the drying devices, in order to achieve improvement in the regeneration performance and energy saving for the desiccant wheel drying devices.
The desiccant wheel drying device with the plurality of desiccant wheels according to the present disclosure further includes a pressure tank for performing adsorption dehumidification and regeneration desorption of the moisture in the compressed air, wherein the pressure tank is used for receiving a plurality of direct heating desiccant wheels. An upper tank lid and a lower tank lid are joined to the top and the bottom of the pressure tank, respectively, to form a pressurized chamber.
The present disclosure further provides a drying device with a combination of a plurality of desiccant wheels and an adsorbent. The drying device further includes two pressure tanks for performing adsorption dehumidification and regeneration desorption of the moisture in the compressed air, wherein the pressure tank is used for receiving a plurality of direct heating desiccant wheels and a particle adsorbent basin. The particle adsorbent basin is provided on the top of the plurality of direct heating desiccant wheels, so that the particle adsorbent basin can use the excess heat generated from the direct heating desiccant wheels below for desorption regeneration. An upper tank lid and a lower tank lid are joined to the top and the bottom of the pressure tank, respectively, to form a pressurized chamber.
The present disclosure provides a drying apparatus, which includes a plurality of pressure drying tanks that exchange functions in batches through associated control valves and pipelines, achieving adsorption dehumidification and desorption regeneration of the pressure drying tanks.
The present disclosure further provides a dehumidification process for the drying apparatus. A dehumidification inlet pipeline is provided above each of the pressure tanks. By turning on a dehumidification inlet valve and turning off a dehumidification inlet valve, compressed air to be dehumidified is guided to the pressure tank for moisture adsorption drying treatment. The temperature of the adsorption materials in the pressure tank at this time may rise too high after the regeneration process. This would reduce the adsorption efficiency. A cooling device is needed to provide cool air to cool down the adsorption materials. Typically, the adsorption drying treatment is performed after the temperature is cooled below 50° C. Dehumidified compressed air is guided below the pressure tank to an appropriate place through a dehumidification exhaust pipeline by turning on a dehumidification exhaust valve and turning off a dehumidification exhaust valve.
The present disclosure provides a desorption regeneration process for a drying apparatus. A regeneration fan provides the drive for air circulation during desorption regeneration. A regeneration fan filter filters out dust or impurities in the air entering the fan. By turning on a regeneration inlet valve and turning off a regeneration inlet valve, the air for regeneration is guided through a regeneration inlet pipeline to the pressure tank. Meanwhile, the direct heating desiccant wheels in the pressure tank are heated by a programmable logic controller (PLC) in an electric control box to a specific temperature depending on the types of adsorbents. For example, 80-140° C. is for silica, and 100-170° C. is for zeolite (molecular sieve). The air after regeneration in the pressure tank is exhausted through a regeneration exhaust pipeline by turning on a regeneration exhaust valve and turning off a regeneration exhaust valve.
Compared to the prior art, the drying device having desiccant wheels only or a combination of desiccant wheels and an adsorbent proposed by the present disclosure not only increases the effective areas through which air flows, but also performs air dehumidification using desiccant wheels composed of direct heating desorption substrates. In particular, electrically controlled layered heating enables equalized temperature of the air passages of the desiccant wheels during the desorption regeneration process, thereby reducing energy consumption while improving the efficiency of the desorption regeneration process.
The present disclosure is described by the following specific embodiments. Those with ordinary skills in the arts can readily understand other advantages and functions of the present disclosure after reading the disclosure of this specification. The present disclosure may also be practiced or applied with other different implementations. Based on different contexts and applications, the various details in this specification can be modified and changed without departing from the spirit according to the present disclosure.
The present disclosure is to provide a drying device made of desiccant wheels or a combination of desiccant wheels and adsorbent, and a drying apparatus using the drying device. The desiccant wheels include direct heating desiccant wheels (such as those described in TW Patent Application No. 105113435), and the drying device can be made up from a plurality of direct heating desiccant wheels arranged in series, or a series combination of desiccant wheels and tanks containing adsorbent particles, forming a drying device capable of adsorbing moisture in the humid air. In operation, water adsorbed in the direct heating desiccant wheels and the adsorbent particles can be desorbed by thermal regeneration, allowing them to be reused for dehumidification again. A compressed air drying apparatus with direct heating desiccant wheels only and a compressed air drying apparatus with hybrid components can be controlled by a logic control circuit in order to achieve adsorption dehumidification of the air and desorption regeneration of the adsorbent.
Referring to
Moreover, insulated industrial plastic (e.g., Teflon, PEEK, POM, or Bakelite) are provided at the top and bottom of the direct heating desiccant wheel 2 to form the upper and lower wheel frames 25 and 26 as the exterior of the desiccant wheel. The upper and lower wheel frames 25 and 26 can be fastened onto the central wheel axle via upper and lower screw sets 252 and 262, thereby positioning the direct heating adsorption substrate 22. The upper and lower wheel frames 25 and 26 are provided with a plurality of reinforcement ribs 251 and 261 to reinforce the structural strength of the wheel frames.
Referring to
The dehumidification process of the drying apparatus is described below. A dehumidification inlet pipeline 63 is provided above each of pressure tanks 61 and 62. By turning on a dehumidification inlet valve 631 and turning off a dehumidification inlet valve 632, compressed air to be dehumidified is guided to the pressure tank 61 for moisture adsorption drying treatment. The temperature of the adsorption materials 14 and 15 (as shown in
Once the direct heating desiccant wheels and the adsorbent particles (hybrid type) or the direct heating desiccant wheels (single type) have adsorbed enough moisture, regeneration process is performed by thermal energy desorption regeneration, which essentially allows moisture to come out of the adsorbent. The desorption regeneration process of the drying apparatus is described below. A regeneration fan 67 provides the drive for air circulation during desorption regeneration. A regeneration fan filter 671 filters out dust or impurities in the air entering the fan. By turning on a regeneration inlet valve 651 and turning off a regeneration inlet valve 652, the air for regeneration is guided through a regeneration inlet pipeline 65 to the pressure tank 61. Meanwhile, the direct heating desiccant wheels in the pressure tank 61 are heated by a programmable logic controller (PLC) in an electric control box to a specific temperature depending on the types of adsorbent (adsorption materials 14 and 15). For example, 80-140° C. is for silica; and 100-170° C. is for zeolite (molecular sieve). The air after regeneration in the pressure tank 61 is exhausted through a regeneration exhaust pipeline 66 by turning on a regeneration exhaust valve 661 and turning off a regeneration exhaust valve 662.
In the example of above, if the pressure tank is composed of direct heating desiccant wheels only, nine desiccant wheels can be employed (as shown in
The dehumidification adsorption and the desorption regeneration of the pressure tank 62 are similar to those described for the pressure tank 61, except that the actuations for the control valves are opposite, details of which are not repeated.
In terms of power supply distribution, the six direct heating desiccant wheels are divided into four groups from bottom to top, wherein the 1st wheel 902 is independently supplied with power. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th wheels 903 are connected in a Y-shaped arrangement for power supply distribution. The 5th and 6th wheels 904 and 905 are also independently supplied with power. The above power supply wiring method may vary depending on the size or quantity of the desiccant wheels and the weight of the adsorbent particles. It is submitted that any wiring method is within the claims according to the present disclosure as long as layered heating is performed. The temperatures of the four sets of direct heating desiccant wheels are individually controlled based on system requirements using feedbacks from the corresponding thermometers. Experimental results show that, compared with the system containing nine direct heating desiccant wheels, at high pressure air inlet dew point −8° C.˜−10° C., the hybrid adsorption drying system was able to maintain outlet dew point below −30° C. for 2.8 hours. Similarly, based on 5% air consumption, the overall energy consumption indicator is about 0.7 kW/CMM. Compared to the roughly 0.8 kW/CMM of energy consumed by the system with nine direct heating desiccant wheels, this is about 12.5% saving on energy. In terms of adsorption time, as the desiccant wheels were replaced by adsorbent particles in the hybrid system, the adsorption dehumidification time was 2.8 hours, which is a 40% increase than the 2 hours it took for the nine-wheel system. As the number of direct heating desiccant wheels is reduced by three in the hybrid system, the installation cost of the direct heating desiccant wheels is 30% cheaper than the nine-wheel system. The various comparison results are shown in Table 1 below.
Compared to the prior art, the drying device made up of desiccant wheels only or a combination of desiccant wheels and adsorbent and the drying apparatus using the same achieve equalized temperatures of the air passages for the dehumidification components during the desorption regeneration process through preheating by a preheater and electrically-controlled layered heating, thereby reducing energy consumption and improving efficiency of the desorption regeneration process.
The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the principles of the present disclosure, and should not be construed as to limit the present disclosure in any way. The above embodiments can be modified by those with ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the following appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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106113260 | Apr 2017 | TW | national |