U.S. patent application number 13/450024 was filed with the patent office on 2012-11-01 for air compressor.
Invention is credited to Tamotsu Fujioka.
Application Number | 20120275936 13/450024 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47053354 |
Filed Date | 2012-11-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120275936 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fujioka; Tamotsu |
November 1, 2012 |
AIR COMPRESSOR
Abstract
An air compressor comprises a compressing device driven by a
motor, a heat exchanger cooling the first air compressed by the
compressing device by the second air blowing from a blower, an
intake path through which the first air sucked by the compressing
device flows, a discharge path through which the second air blown
by the blower and heated by the heat exchanger flows, and a
dehumidifying rotor that carries an adsorbent adsorbing moisture
from the first air, the moisture being removed by the second air to
restore the adsorbent.
Inventors: |
Fujioka; Tamotsu;
(Yokohama-shi, JP) |
Family ID: |
47053354 |
Appl. No.: |
13/450024 |
Filed: |
April 18, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
417/313 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04B 53/08 20130101;
F04B 39/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
417/313 |
International
Class: |
F04B 23/00 20060101
F04B023/00; F04B 53/08 20060101 F04B053/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 26, 2011 |
JP |
JP2011-097838 |
Claims
1. An air compressor comprising: a motor; a compressing device
driven by the motor to suck and compress first air; a blower
blowing second air; a heat exchanger cooling the first air
transferred from the compressing device by second air blowing by
the blower; an intake path through which the first air sucked by
the compressing device flows; a discharge path positioned adjacent
to the intake path, the second air heated by the heat exchanger
flowing through the discharge path; and a dehumidifying rotor
disposed across the intake path and the discharge path and carrying
an adsorbent adsorbing moisture from the first air sucked by the
compressing device, the moisture being removed from the adsorbent
by the second air.
2. The air compressor of claim 1 wherein the dehumidifying rotor
comprises an adsorbing area and a restoration area partitioned from
each other, the adsorbing area adsorbing moisture into the
adsorbent from the first air sucked by the compressing device, the
adsorbent being restored in the restoration area by the second air
heated by the heat exchanger.
3. The air compressor of claim 1 wherein the adsorbent comprises
silica gel.
4. The air compressor of claim 1 wherein the adsorbent comprises
zeolite.
5. The air compressor of claim 1 wherein the dehumidifying rotor is
rotated with a belt wound an outer circumference and driven by a
motor via the belt.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an air compressor for
supplying compressed dry air and particularly to an air compressor
sucking dry air and discharging low-dew-point compressed air.
[0002] JP2007-7540A discloses an air compressor in which air
compressed by the compressor is cooled by a freezing cycle to allow
vapor in the compressed air to be condensed for dehumidifying.
[0003] JP2006-6989A discloses a hollow membrane air drier in which
a polymer hollow membrane through which vapor is likely to permeate
is disposed in a casing, and compressed air is supplied from a
compressor to the hollow membrane so that only vapor permeates the
hollow membrane to allow dehumidified compressed air to be
discharged.
[0004] Recently in air compressors it was required to reduce
pressure supplied to compressed air used in factories to save
energy. According to reduction in supplied pressure, air per unit
pressure in the air compressors is increased.
[0005] However, in the cooling air drier in JP2007-7540A, the
increase in supplied air decreases dew-point performance or
condensation, and in order to maintain condensation, the number of
coolers is increased thereby consuming more electricity, so that
energy saving could not be achieved. Pressure of compressed air is
lost in a dehumidifying step, power energy of the compressor is
uselessly consumed, and it is necessary to provide a processor for
condensate additionally.
[0006] In order to avoid the loss in power energy and condensate
processor, as described in JP2006-6989A, it is preferable to employ
the hollow membrane drier having light weight and long life, but
not producing condensed water. But in order to dehumidify
compressed gas continuously, it is necessary to provide electricity
for vacuum source for keeping the outside of the hollow membrane in
low vapor partial pressure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In view of the disadvantages, it is an object of the present
invention to provide an air compressor in which its structure is
simple and air is dehumidified by a dehumidifying rotor before
compression to reduce consumed power for dehumidification, avoiding
necessity for a condensate processor and supplying compressed air
continuously.
[0008] According to the present invention there is provided an air
compressor comprising: [0009] a motor; [0010] a compressing device
driven by the motor; [0011] a blower blowing first air; [0012] a
heat exchanger cooling the first air transferred from the
compressing device by second air blowing by the blower; [0013] an
intake path through which the first air sucked by the compressing
device flows; [0014] a discharge path positioned adjacent to the
intake path, the second air heated by the heat exchanger flowing
through the discharge path; and [0015] a dehumidifying rotor
rotationally disposed across the intake path and the discharge path
and carrying an adsorbent adsorbing moisture from the first air
sucked by the compressing device, moisture being removed from the
adsorbent by the second air.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The present invention will be described with respect to a
preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings
wherein:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a view showing air flow in an air compressor
according to the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the air compressor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0019] In FIGS. 1 and 2, an air compressor comprises a compressing
device 1 in which first air is compressed; a motor 2 for driving
the compressing device 1; a heat exchanger 3 for cooling the first
air compressed by and transferred from the compressing device 1; a
blower 4 for blowing second air as cooling wind to the heat
exchanger 4; and a cylindrical dehumidifying rotor 5 for adsorbing
moisture from the first air sucked into the compressing device
1.
[0020] The compressing device 1 sucks the first air which is
dehumidified with the dehumidifying rotor 5 from an sucking tube 6,
and the first air compressed by the compressing device is
transferred to the heat exchanger 3 via a first conduit 7.
[0021] The heat exchanger 3 cools the first air conveyed from the
first conduit 7, by the second air as cooling wind which is blown
from the blower 4, conveys the first air to a second conduit 8 and
supplies the second air heated by the heat exchanger 3, to the
dehumidifying rotor 5.
[0022] The dehumidifying rotor 5 is disposed across an intake path
9 through which the first air sucked by the compressing device 1
flows, and a discharge path 11 through which the second air blown
from the blower 4 and heated by the heat exchanger 3 flows. The
dehumidifying rotor 5 is rotated by a motor 12.
[0023] For example, the dehumidifying rotor 5 may be rotated by the
motor 12 via a belt 13 wound on the outer circumference of the
dehumidifying rotor 5, or via a gear or an elastic roller such as
rubber between the dehumidifying rotor 5 and a rotary shaft of the
motor 12.
[0024] The dehumidifying rotor 5 carries an adsorbent containing
silica gel or zeolite as main component adsorbing moisture in the
air. The moisture in the absorbent of in the dehumidifying rotor 5
is removed by the second air heated by the heat exchanger 3. The
dehumidifying rotor 5 rotates circumferentially to allow the
adsorbent to move from an adsorbing area 14 for adsorbing moisture
to a restoration area 15 where moisture is removed.
[0025] The dehumidifying rotor 5 comprises the adsorbing area 14
through which the intake path 9 passes and the restoration area 15
through which the discharge path 11 passes. The first air which
flows in from the air inlet 16 is supplied in the adsorbing area 14
to dehumidify the first air. The second air passes through the
restoration area 15 and is sent to an air outlet 17 thereby
restoring the adsorbent so that the adsorbent can adsorb moisture
more effectively.
[0026] Silica gel or zeolite may be used as adsorbent in the
dehumidifying rotor 5. Silica gel and zeolite have different
moisture absorbency depending on each porosity. For example, in
zeorite, moisture absorbency rises sharply at relative humidity in
which vapor pressure of water is low. When relative humidity
becomes more than 10%, increase ratio in moisture absorbency
becomes small significantly. Meanwhile, in silica gel, moisture
absorbency increase gently with increase in relative humidity, and
moisture absorbency significantly increases in high relative
humidity area.
[0027] In the embodiment, when the air compressor is disposed in a
high-relative-humidityconditions, silica gel is carried in the
dehumidifying rotor 5. In the meantime, when the air compressor is
disposed in a low-relative-humidity or relatively high temperature
conditions, zeolite may preferably be carried in the dehumidifying
rotor 5.
[0028] In this embodiment, the air compressor provides a
dehumidifying cycle for air, comprising the dehumidifying step for
taking the first air in through the air inlet 16 by sucking air by
the compressing device 1 and dehumidifying the first air by the
dehumidifying rotor 5; the compression step for sucking the first
air into the compressing device 1 via the sucking tube 6; the
cooling step for allowing the first air compressed by the
compressing device 1 to pass through the first conduit 7 to cool
the first air by the heat exchanger 3; and the discharging step for
discharging the first air, from the heat exchanger 2 to the second
conduit 8.
[0029] The air compressor provides a restoring cycle comprising the
cooling step for blowing the second air blown by the blower 4 from
the outside to the heat exchanger 3; the restoring step for
restoring the adsorbent in the restoration area 15 of the
dehumidifying rotor 5 by the second air heated by the heat
exchanger 3; and the discharge step for discharging the second air
from the restoration area 15 to the air outlet 17.
[0030] As mentioned above, in addition to the embodiments, the
cylindrical dehumidifying rotor in this invention may preferably be
a honeycomb rotor that carries high dehumidifying zeolite or silica
gel a rotor-like honeycomb structure wound or layered by
manufacturing inflammable inorganic fibers such as ceramic fibers
into cardboards.
[0031] The foregoing merely relates to an embodiment of the
invention. Various variations may be made by person skilled in the
art without departing from the scope of claims wherein:
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