US 12,330,114 B2
Compressor installation and method for supplying compressed gas
Frederik Van Nederkassel, Wilrijk (BE); and Stijn Johan E. Broucke, Wilrijk (BE)
Assigned to ATLAS COPCO AIRPOWER, NAAMLOZE VENNOOTSCHAP, Wilrijk (BE)
Appl. No. 17/430,744
Filed by ATLAS COPCO AIRPOWER, NAAMLOZE VENNOOTSCHAP, Wilrijk (BE)
PCT Filed Jan. 21, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/050431
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 13, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/183251, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 17, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019/5151 (BE), filed on Mar. 12, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0143550 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. B01D 53/26 (2006.01); B01D 53/04 (2006.01); B01D 53/06 (2006.01)
CPC B01D 53/261 (2013.01) [B01D 53/0438 (2013.01); B01D 53/0446 (2013.01); B01D 53/06 (2013.01); B01D 2257/80 (2013.01); B01D 2259/4009 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A compressor installation comprising a compressor device with at least one compressor element with a compressed gas outlet, a compressed gas outlet pipe connected to said compressor device, and a dryer connecting to said outlet pipe of the type which uses a desiccant for drying the compressed gas coming from the compressor device,
wherein the dryer is provided with a drying section and a regeneration section with an entry and an exit for a regeneration gas, wherein a regeneration pipe is connected to the entry of the regeneration section,
wherein in said regeneration pipe a first heat exchanger is provided for heating the regeneration gas,
wherein the first heat exchanger includes a primary section connected to the regeneration pipe,
wherein the compressor installation is further provided with a heat pipe for supplying heat to the secondary section of the heat exchanger, and
wherein said heat pipe is included in a heat-transfer circuit that is separate from and unconnected to the compressed gas outlet and compressed gas outlet pipe, said heat pipe having:
a first end which is in heat-transferring contact with a heat source in the form of a hotspot at a location in the compressor device where the temperature is higher than the temperature at outlet of the compressor element, and
a second end which is in heat-transferring contact with the secondary section of said first heat exchanger.