Abstract:
An apparatus for conditioning of gases, particularly sealing gas, includes a separator unit ( 3 ), particularly for separating liquids and/or particles from the gas flowing through the apparatus, and a collecting container ( 1 ) for the trapped substances. The separator unit ( 3 ) has a cyclone separator ( 3 ).

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to an apparatus for the conditioning of gases, in particular of sealing gas, comprising a separator unit for separating liquids and/or particles from the gas flowing through the apparatus, and comprising a collecting container for the trapped substances. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Apparatuses of this kind are prior art. One area of application of such apparatuses is the conditioning of sealing gas. When handling corrosive process gases, for example, during pumping using turbo compressors, the known risk of sensitive parts of the pump, bearing points and/or sealing systems being attacked due to solid particles along with moisture present in the associated process gas exists. To counter this risk, sensitive parts, for example, the bearing points, must be protected by sealing gas in the form of a continuous flow of inert gas, with the inert gas flowing over the parts of the system to be protected. An appropriate inert gas may be dry nitrogen. During operation, the pressure of the sealing gas should be higher (for example, approximately 3 bar) than the process gas pressure, so that no process gas is able to pass into the atmosphere. In view of the usually high pressure of the process gas, frequently greater than 100 bar, the gas conditioning apparatus must be designed up to a high pressure level. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus for conditioning gases, which apparatus is low-maintenance and, therefore, cost-effective to operate, and is distinguished by an efficient separation effect. 
     The object is basically achieved according to the invention by an apparatus, having, as an essential particular feature of the invention, a separator unit including a cyclone separator. By using a cyclone separator, a largely maintenance-free operation of the apparatus with highly efficient separation is feasible, making the apparatus cost-effective and efficient to operate. 
     Accordingly, the invention is distinguished by the fact that the separator unit is mounted on the collecting container as a discrete, replaceable unit through which gas is able to flow. Adaptation to individual process conditions, such as type of gas, type of stresses caused by moisture and solid particles, by flow-through rates and the like, requires that only the separator unit be changed. The collecting container together with the auxiliary equipment normally associated with it may remain in place. In view of the high pressure level of, for example, greater than 100 bar, and the corresponding complex, pressure-resistant construction, the potential for using the same collecting container with associated equipment, such as fittings and the like, under changing operating conditions is of great economic significance. 
     The separator unit may be advantageously mounted on the top of the collecting container and may be connected to the collecting container via an inlet opening of the collecting container. 
     With respect to the cyclone separator, advantageously it includes a cyclone housing, on which an inflow opening is disposed such that the gas flow within the housing forms a swirl flow about the vertical axis thereof. An outflow unit has an outflow channel extending upward coaxially relative to the vertical axis on the cyclone housing. 
     For an outflow connection situated on the side of the cyclone housing, alternatively the outflow unit can be configured in such a way that the outflow channel includes a section, which is connected to its initial vertical section and which extends horizontally to the inflow connection located on the side. 
     Thus, apparatuses adapted to different process conditions, in each case with an identical collecting container, may be implemented in the form of a modular system, by appropriately replacing the cyclone housing on the collecting container and/or, if needed, by equipping the cyclone housing with an outflow unit, which is designed for an outflow connection situated on the top, or for an outflow connection located on the side. 
     In particularly advantageous exemplary embodiments, the apparatus includes a gas cooler in the flow path of the gas flowing toward the separator unit. This cooler opens up the possibility during operation of the apparatus of cooling the particular gas to a temperature below the dew point, for example, to a temperature of 10° K. below the dew point, to form condensate from the vaporous phase for separation with the aid of the cyclone. 
     Preferably, a controllable outlet device for trapped fluid is provided at the bottom of the collecting container. In this case, the outlet device can be arranged to be manually controllable, for example, by a needle valve or ball cock provided at the particular outlet connection. 
     In advantageous exemplary embodiments, a sensor device detects the fill level of trapped fluid and may be attached to the collecting container. Such exemplary embodiments offer the possibility of providing an outlet device controllable in response to a signal of the sensor device. The system may then be designed for automatic operation over longer operating periods. 
     Instead of a manually controllable outlet device or an outlet device or an outlet device controllable by a signal of the sensor device, an outlet device may also be provided for an automatic operation, which operation is controllable by a float situated in the collecting container. 
     Other objects, advantages and salient features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the drawings, discloses preferred embodiments of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Referring to the drawings that form a part of this disclosure: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view in section of the collecting container with associated subcomponents of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 , reduced by approximately a factor of eight in the drawing in relation to a practical embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view in section of a collecting container with associated subcomponents of the apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 4  is a truncated side view in section of just the bottom area of an apparatus according to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In  FIG. 1 , a collecting container  1  has a removable cyclone separator  3  mounted on the top thereof. Situated on the cyclone housing  5 , shown in greater detail in  FIG. 2 , is an inflow connection or gas inlet  7  for the entry of the gas to be conditioned, and an outflow connection or gas outlet  9 . The collecting container  1  is in the shape of a hollow cylinder having a vertical longitudinal axis  11 . The cylinder is closed at its top by top or upper wall  13  located above in the drawing up to an inlet opening or central bore  15 . The upper wall  13  extends inwardly and radially from the side wall  14  of the collecting container  1  relative to the longitudinal axis  14 . The central bore  15  is radially spaced from the side wall  14  of the collecting container  1 . The lower end is tightly sealed by a bottom piece  17 . Collecting container  1  together with the bottom piece  17  exhibit a correspondingly high wall strength  1 , for forming a pressure container for a high pressure level of greater than 100 bar. 
     As is most clearly seen in  FIG. 1 , multiple connections, each provided with a connecting flange  19  and a needle valve  21 , are situated on the collecting container  1 . An outlet connection  23  and a sensor connection  25  are visible in  FIG. 2  in the area of the bottom piece  17 . A second sensor connection  27  is situated vertically above the bottom sensor connection  25 . Both sensor connections  25 ,  27  are connected to a sensor device  29 , which, together with the interior space of the collecting container  1 , form a type of communicating pipe. To detect the fill level in the collecting container  1 , the sensor device  21  includes a device of a known type for contactlessly indicating the position of an element situated in the sensor tube, for example, a float having permanent magnetic or ferromagnetic components. 
     Apart from the connections visible in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a ventilation connection  31  is at the level of the upper sensor connection  27 , and a second outlet connection  33  is situated at the bottom on the collecting container  1 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . Of the two outlet connections  23  and  33 , the outlet connection  23  is provided for an automatically controlled outlet of substances trapped in the collecting container  1 , whereas the second outlet connection  33  is provided for a manually controlled release by activating the associated needle valve  21 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the cyclone separator  3  with its cyclone or separator housing  5  in the two exemplary embodiments shown in these figures, is removably mounted on the top wall  13  of the collecting container  1  by screws  35 . Depending on the conditions, separators of desired cyclone size and/or design may be mounted on the collecting container  1 . As is conventional in the case of cyclone separators  3 , the cyclone housing  5  includes an acceleration cone or conical surface  39  at the lower end of the inlet cylinder  37 , which cone extends at the transition between housing  5  and the top  13  of the collecting container  1  and into the inlet opening  15  of housing  5  and into the interior space of housing  5 . Due to the tapering of the cone  39 , the rotational speed of the swirl flow generated by the flow of gas via the inflow opening  41  of the inlet connection  7  in the inlet cylinder  37  is accelerated in such a way that non-gaseous substances, such as fluids and/or particles, are flung against the wall of the cone  39 , and decelerated to the point that they detach from the flow and migrate downward into the collecting container  1 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the acceleration cone  39  is formed in a cyclone plug  43 . The acceleration cone  39  is formed by a conical surface terminating at a distance from the lower end  44  of the cyclone plug  43 . A central passage  46  extends from a lower end of the conical surface and opens into the collecting space. Thus, if needed, not only can the cyclone separator  3  with the cyclone housing  5  be replaced, but, if needed, the plug  43  can also be switched, if another size and/or shape of the cone  39  is appropriate. Attached to the top of the cyclone housing  5 , also replaceable, is an outflow unit  45 . This unit has an outflow channel  47  as an immersion pipe extending coaxially relative to the vertical axis  11  in the inlet cylinder  37 , which channel in the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 2  extends in a straight line along axis  11  to the outflow connection  9  located above. 
     The exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 3  differs from the example in  FIG. 2  solely in the different design of the outflow unit  45 . In contrast to  FIG. 2 , the outflow channel  47  has a bend  49 , at which the outflow channel  47  transitions into a horizontal section  52  leading to the now laterally positioned outflow connection  9 . 
     In the two exemplary embodiments of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the additional outlet connection  23  visible in  FIGS. 2 through 4  is automatically controllable, in addition to the manually controllable outlet connection  33 , which is visible only in  FIG. 1 . As an example of such a control,  FIGS. 2 through 4  show a highly schematic simplified representation of a valve plug  51  situated the outlet connection  23 , which valve plug contains a float valve. This float valve may be activated by a float ball  53 , which floats to the surface of the fluid trapped in the collecting container  1 . To generate a reliable buoyancy, the float ball  53  is preferably formed as a hollow ball, as shown in  FIG. 4 . To prevent the hollow float ball  53  from compressing under the at times substantially high pressure, which can build up in the collecting container  1 , a pressure equalization device is provided for the interior space  55  of the ball  53 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The pressure equalization device in the example in  FIG. 4  is formed by an equalizing tube  57 , which is kinked at its upper end in such a way that substances trickling from above do not enter the pipe opening  59 . 
     With the invention, a modular system may be implemented by using different cyclone sizes and cyclone designs in conjunction with a collecting container  1  that has the same design with associated components. Further adaptations may be made by variously designing the outflow unit  45  for the outflow connection  9  located above or the lateral outflow connection  9 , and/or different plugs  43  may be used for desired shapes of the acceleration cone  39 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a gas cooler  61  is connected to the connecting flange  19  of the inflow connection  7 , in which the gas to be conditioned flowing into the cyclone separator  3  may be cooled. By cooling at a temperature below the dew point, for example, 10° K. below the dew point, vaporous phases can transition into liquid phases thereby to obtain an optimum separation in the cyclone separator  3 . 
     While various embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.