Air compression apparatus

• US 10,041,494 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2015
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nabtesco Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nabtesco Corporation
• Inventors: Mizufune, Toru, Kuromitsu, Masaru, Takahashi, Akira, Miyauchi, Tatsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): FREAY, CHARLES GRANT
• Application Number:
  US14/704,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20150330408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 310 63
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/32 Cooling devices B60H1/00478, B60H1/005 take precedence; vehicles adapted to transport refrigerated goods B60P3/20
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 18/0207 both members having co-operating elements in spiral form
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2210/1005 Air
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 23/00 Combinations of two or more pumps, each being of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type, specially adapted for elastic fluids; Pumping installations specially adapted for elastic fluids; Multi-stage pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids F04C25/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/04 Heating; Cooling of machines or engines in general F01P; Heat insulation heat insulation in general F16L59/00
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 17/08 Centrifugal pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/16 Combinations of two or more pumps ; Producing two or more separate gas flows
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/06 Several compression cycles arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 9/004 the refrigerant being air

Abstract

The present application discloses an air compression apparatus mounted on a vehicle. The air compression apparatus includes a first air compressor configured to generate first compressed air, a first cooling fan configured to send first cooling wind in a first direction to cool the first air compressor, and a second air compressor aligned with the first air compressor in a second direction intersecting with the first direction. The second air compressor generates second compressed air.

Claims

1. An air compression apparatus configured to be mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

a first air compressor configured to generate first compressed air;

a first cooling fan configured to send first cooling wind in a first direction to cool the first air compressor;

a second air compressor aligned with the first air compressor in a second direction intersecting with the first direction, the second air compressor generating second compressed air;

a second cooling fan configured to send second cooling wind in the first direction to cool the second air compressor;

a first after-cooler configured to cool the first compressed air;

a second after-cooler configured to cool the second compressed air;

a third cooling fan configured to generate third cooling wind; and

a fourth cooling fan configured to generate fourth cooling wind,

wherein the third cooling fan is situated to blow the third cooling wind directly to the first after-cooler,

wherein the fourth cooling fan is situated to blow the fourth cooling wind directly to the second after-cooler,

wherein the first after-cooler is cooled by the first cooling wind from the first cooling fan and the third cooling wind from the third cooling fan, and

wherein the second after-cooler is cooled by the second cooling wind from the second cooling fan and the fourth cooling wind from the fourth cooling fan.

2. The air compression apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first cooling fan is an axial-flow fan facing the first air compressor.

3. The air compression apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third cooling fan is a centrifugal blower which rotates coaxially with the first air compressor.

4. The air compression apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an electric motor configured to drive the first air compressor, wherein the first air compressor and the electric motor are aligned vertically with each other.

5. The air compression apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second cooling fan is an axial-flow fan facing the second air compressor.

6. The air compression apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fourth cooling fan is a centrifugal blower which rotates coaxially with the second air compressor.

7. The air compression apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second electric motor configured to drive the second air compressor, and wherein the second air compressor and the second electric motor are aligned vertically with each other.

8. The air compression apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first after-cooler comprises a first cooler and a second cooler operatively connected to the first cooler, and wherein the first compressed air generated by the first air compressor is first cooled in the first cooler, and is then cooled in the second cooler.

9. The air compression apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first cooler is situated beside the first air compressor and the second cooler is situated beside the third cooling fan, and wherein, when the air compression apparatus is mounted onto the vehicle, the first and second coolers are aligned along a common horizontal plane.

10. The air compression apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first cooler is situated at the downstream of the first air compressor in the flow direction of the first cooling wind generated by the first cooling fan, wherein the first cooler includes a first flow passage through which the first compressed air generated by the first air compressor passes, and wherein the first flow passage is cooled by the first cooling wind which is generated by the first cooling fan for cooling the first air compressor.

11. The air compression apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, after the first cooling wind generated by the first cooling fan cools the first air compressor, the first cooling wind reaches the first flow passage of the first cooler, and wherein the first flow passage is externally cooled by the first cooling wind from the first cooling fan to cause a temperature drop of the first compressed air flowing through the first flow passage.

12. The air compression apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second cooler includes a second flow passage connected to the downstream of the first flow passage, wherein the first compressed air which is cooled in the first cooler is sent to the second flow passage, and wherein the second flow passage is cooled by the third cooling wind from the third cooling fan.

13. The air compression apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the third cooling wind generated by the third cooling fan is directly blown onto the second flow passage of the second cooler.

14. The air compression apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first cooling wind from the first cooling fan cools not only the first air compressor but also the first after-cooler.

15. The air compression apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second cooling wind from the second cooling fan cools not only the second air compressor but also the second after-cooler.