Development of Recommendations for the Implementation of the Contact Cooling System of Mine Turbocompressors

Abstract

The compressed air cooling system is used not only for dehumidification, but also to reduce energy consumption. The most important feature of the isothermal process is that the work required to compress the gas is less than in other compression processes. This feature determines the economic feasibility of cooling compressed gas in compressors and the desire to approach an isothermal process. This means that greater part of the heat must be removed during compression in the impeller. Therefore, it is clear that it is almost impossible to achieve isothermal compression in a centrifugal compressor. The less the energy consumption will be, the more the actual process will approach isothermal, that is, the less the temperature of the gas will rise during the compression process. Thanks to the cooling of the gas during the compression process, energy consumption can be significantly reduced. Air cooling (intermediate and final in compressor units) is mainly carried out by shell-and-tube type devices. Such devices have a number of disadvantages, the most important of which are: insufficient cooling of the compressed air, the formation of deposits on the working surfaces of the devices, and the increased content of moisture and oil vapors in the compressed air. These shortcomings negatively influence the quality of compressed air and increase the danger of using pneumatic energy (the possibility of hydraulic shocks, explosions and fires, and internal icing in pneumatic networks). The advantages of contact heat exchangers over surface heat exchangers are: absence of deposits, reduction of corrosive and erosive wear and metal content, increase of reliability and heating temperature of coolants, etc. All this leads to the widespread use of these devices in industry and the prospect of their use in objects of new technology. As a result of the research, the design of the Venturi contact mixer with an adjustable neck was developed. The methodology for calculating the structural and operational parameters of the contact system cooling devices of mine turbo compressors has been developed. Recommendations for the selection of equipment for the contact cooling system of mine turbo compressors have been developed.