IMPROVED DRIER FOR DEHUMIDIFYING THE AIR INTENDED FOR OIL EXPANSION TANKS USED IN ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTS

DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to an improved dryer for dehumidifying the air intended for oil expansion tanks used in electrical equipments, particularly oil isolated such as, for example, power transformers, on load switches and so forth.

It ^' is ^" known, ^" that a ^" power -electrical-- equipment. containing insulation oil usually includes an expansion tank having the function to compensate the inevitable volume variations of the oil inside the transformer caused by the sudden changes of temperature . Such an expansion tank of the oil is supplied with air previously treated in a special dryer in order to eliminate or drastically reduce the moisture. This is because the air supplied to an expansion tank of the oil even with a minimum amount of residual moisture would result in the negative aspect of reducing the breaking tension of the insulation oil. In the essential and main aspects, a drier of the known type includes a dehumidification container, which has an inlet for the air to be dehumidified and an outlet for the dehumidified air, and absorption

means, contained in the dehumidification container, suitable for dehumidifying the air coming from the outside .

Generally, the absorption means consist of a plurality of granules or salts thermally regenerable . The dryer also includes heating means, usually a resistor element, positioned inside the dehumidification container and responsible for the thermal regeneration of ^{' '} the ^" absorption- -means .• - .. . In addition, the dryer includes detection means of the moisture degree of the dehumidified air, operatively connected with the heating means , Typically, such detection means include a moisture sensor placed outside the dehumidification container, preferably in the vicinity of the exit aperture of the dehumidified air, in any case being able to be positioned in any other position along the path of dry air .

The moisture sensor detects the value of residual moisture in the dry air and causes the activation of the heating means if such a value exceeds a maximum allowable value: in fact, this means that the absorption means have lost or are ^' losing their absorbent capacity and must be regenerated. However, in the known dryers the detection of the

moisture content of the dry air does not always ensure, ultimately, the complete regeneration of the absorption means because sometimes the air entering the dehumidification container follows preferential routes, this distorting the detection itself.

In such situations, the moisture sensor sets going with high frequency the resistor element responsible to regenerate the absorption means, with the consequence that ^" the ^{" "} continuing cycles of -switching. on and switching off cause unavoidable problems of reliability of the same resistor element. The present invention aims to solve this problem of the known technique .

In particular, the primary purpose of the invention is to provide an improved dryer for dehumidifying the air intended to expansion tanks of the oil used in electrical equipments more reliable and efficient than the equivalent dryers of the known type . It a second purpose of the present invention monitoring the status of dehumidification of the absorption means of the aforesaid dryer more effectively than the known art.

A third purpose of the attached invention is to getready an improved dryer for dehumidifying air intended to expansion tanks of simple construction.

The aforesaid purposes are achieved through an improved dryer for dehumidifying the air intended for oil expansion tanks used in electrical equipments as the attached claim 1, which they refer for the sake of brevity.

Other technical features of detail of the improved dryer of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims .

AdvantageousIy , ^~ -the - improved- -dryer .of ..the invention allows to perform accurate measures of the level of dehumidification of the absorption means and, indirectly, of the degree of moisture of the air just dehumidified while keeping in any case a high level of functional efficiency of the involved members, in particular the heating means .

Still advantageously, the improved dryer object of the present invention is of simple construction, comparable to that of the dryers of the known art . The aforesaid purposes and advantages will appear better evident with the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention given by illustrative but not limiting way with the aid of the enclosed drawing which shows In simplified longitudinal section the dryer of which protection is hereby required. The improved dryer for dehumidifying the air intended

for oil expansion tanks used in electrical equipments is shown in figure 1 globally numbered with 1. It is observed that it includes : a dehumidification container 2 which present a plurality of inlet micro apertures, not visible, for the air to be dehumidified and an outlet 3 for the dehumidified air; absorption means, as a whole marked with 4, - - -contained i-n- the .dehumidi.fi.ca.tion container 2 and suitable for dehumidifying the air coming from the outside ; heating means, as a whole reported with 5, positioned inside the dehumidification container 2 , intended to regenerate the absorption means 4 ; - detection means, overall marked with 6, operatively connected with the heating means 5 , suitable for determining the saturation state of the absorption means 4.

According to the invention, the detection means 6 include a transducer 7, coupled to the dehumidification container 2, which directly measure the degree of dehumidification of the absorption means 4.

In a preferred but not binding way, the transducer 7 includes an electronic load cell of the compression

type, which converts an applied force in a variation of the electrical resistance.

The load cell is electrically connected to the supply network of electricity through electric terminals 8. It is understood that in other constructive solutions of the invention, not shown, the detection means may include a transducer of different type with respect to the one just mentioned. "In ^" addition," other embodiments, - not- .shown in the drawings that follow, will provide for the detecting means a load cell of the traction type, which converts a stretch in a variation of the electrical resistance . The transducer 7 is coupled to the dehumidification container 2 by fastening means, as a whole numbered with 9 and of the type in itself known, such as screws, bolts, rivets, pins, dowels and the like. The improved dryer 1 also includes a protection casing 10, in this case a glass cylinder, which surrounds the dehumidification container 2.

The protection casing 10 is provided at a first ends 10a with a closing flange 11 and at a second end 10b with a collecting sump 12 which receives the condensate that, during use, comes out from the inlet micro apertures of the dehumidification container 2

to convey it outside.

The closing flange 11 and the collection sump 12 are connected one each other through linear rods 13, each of which blocked at the ends with nuts 14, 15. By way of preference, the improved dryer 1 comprises a filtering body 16, produced for example in metallic material and arranged at the second end 10b of the protection casing 10.

The ^" aix - to- -be-- dehum-i-di-fi-ed- -passes .through _. the filtering body 16 before entering the dehumidification container 2.

In particular, the collection sump 12 presents an inner wall 12a inclined and converging toward the centre so that it defines an essentially triangular profile in cross section.

The collection sump 12 is also provided with a projecting spout 17 which has a central opening 18 suitable for the exhaust at the outside of the condensate and into which the filtering body 16 is inserted which, so, is crossed in one direction by the air to be dehumidified and in the opposite direction from the condensate to drain off, produced during the functioning in the dehumidification container 2. According to the preferred embodiment here described

of the invention, the inlets of the air to be dehumidified are made on the side wall 2a of the dehumidification container 2 and where they are uniformly distributed. As figure 1 shows, the dehumidification container 2 and the protection casing 10 are coaxial one each other identifying the same longitudinal axis of symmetry Y.

"' Preferably -but not- -necessarily., the _clpsing flange 11 includes a main body 19, suitable to be coupled with the expansion tank, and a central shank 20, projecting from the main body 19 and partly inserted into the dehumidification container 2.

Owing to this constructive form, the outlet 3 of the dehumidified air consists of a through axial hole 21 which affects both the main body 19 and the central shank 20 of the closing flange 11.

The through axial hole 21 of the closing flange 11 is coaxial to the longitudinal axis Y. As shown in figure 1, the dehumidification container 2 is provided on one side with a shaped bottom 22 to the transducer 7 is coupled and on the opposite side with a sealing plug 23, sliding on the central shank 20 of the closing flange 11 along the longitudinal axis Y.

Thus, the dehumidification container 2 is free to slide along the longitudinal axis Y, performing movements of small entity which allow the transducer 7 to perform the function for which is nominally intended to.

The improved dryer includes, therefore, seal means, such as for example an annular seal 24, interposed between the sealing plug 23 and the central shank 20

^■ o± -the- -closing- fl-ange H-, ...... . . _. _, The absorption means 4 are of the type in itself known to the person skilled in the art, such as salt granules capable to absorb the air moisture and thermally regenerable.

In turn, the heating means 5 are of the type in .itself known to the technician of the field, being represented by a generic resistor.

In use, the air to be dehumidified enters the central opening 18 of the collection sump 12 and, after passing through the filtering body 16, occupies the interspace 25 defined between the dehumidification container 2 and the protection casing 10.

Frome here the air to be dehumidified passes through the inlet micro apertures and enters inside the dehumidification container 2 where it is dehumidified by the absorption means 4 before being conveyed

outside passing through the outlet 3.

The transducer 7, weighing the dehumidification container 2, detects the degree of dehumidification of the absorption means 4 and, in essence, the moisture degree of the dehumidified air.

The detection by the transducer 7 of a value exceeding a predetermined maximum threshold means that the absorption means 4 have reached the set saturation -levels andv therefore., the...heating means 5 are activated in order to regenerate the former state of the absorption means 4.

The condensate which is inevitably produced in this stage comes out from inlet micro apertures of the side wall 2a of the dehumidification container 2 and, by gravity, reaches the collection sump 12 from where it's conveyed outside through the central opening 18. By virtue of the above, it is understood, therefore, that the improved dryer for dehumidifying the air intended for oil expansion tanks used in electrical equipments according to the invention reaches the purposes and realizes the benefits previously mentioned.

In execution, changes can be made to the improved dryer of the invention consisting, for example, in a dehumidifying container which presents only one inlet

of the air to be dehumidified.

In addition, other embodiments of the invention can subsists where the inlets of the air to be dehumidified are arranged in a position different form the one previously described, which does not affect the advantage brought by this patent. Moreover, in other embodiments the dehumidification Container may present more than one outlet of the dehumidified air. . It is clear, finally, that many other variations can be made to the improved dryer in question, without for this reason going out of the novelty principles inherent of the idea inventive, as it is clear that, in the practical implementation of the invention, materials, shapes and sizes of the details could be any, depending on the needs, and could be replaced with other technically equivalent.