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I believe that under ground, below
the permafrost level, the earth maintains a moderately cool
temperature and never freezes. My only first hand experience with
this is our “daylight basement” house. Because the lot is sloped the
ground level entrance in front is one level above the back entrance.
In the summer when it is too hot on the main level the lower level,
half below ground, is remarkably cooler. Is this an opportunity?
The air discharged by most
compressors is hot and it is saturated at the discharge temperature.
This hot air is carrying all the water vapor that it can hold. Most
mid size to large compressed air systems use an after cooler, a heat
exchanger with either water or ambient air to extract heat from the
flowing compressed air. Condensate that drops out when the
temperature is reduced is discharged by a water trap or auto drain
filter/separator.
Next, the dryer, refrigerant,
regenerative, or deliquescent is used to remove additional water
vapor and reduce the dew point. The expense of a dryer, operating
cost, maintenance and up keep might be eliminated by a heat
exchanger buried in the cool subterranean earth. Until or unless
this idea gets popular you will have to devise your own heat
exchanger. This might be large pipe buried in the cool clay, a
receiver or other unit with generous surface area.
Before you bury the heat exchanger
and pave over it, be sure it has no leaks and add a drain line from
the bottom of the main pipe or heat exchanger. Direct this drain
line up above the surface. Connect a Time Drain valve to the end of
this line. Each time the drain valve opens compressed air will drive
condensate out. |
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If the
underground pipe is sloped 1 to 2 degrees for each 10 feet the
condensate will collect at the lower end where the drain valve is
located. I have seen air lines laboriously suspended high
over head to transport compressed air
from the compressor room to remote buildings to prevent interference
with ground traffic.
Bury that pipe and enjoy the
secondary benefit of dryer air that won’t freeze condensate in an
exposed pipe.
Routing the compressed air
underground like a utility has several advantages. Area air access
points inside the building or work area would allow large pipes to
be located under instead of over head. In case of an earth quake
huge pipes won’t fall on people below. The cool air would warm
quickly in the work environment and become dryer. Independent area
loops can be monitored for leaks or replaced if excess pressure drop
occurs. A ruptured pipe in one sector can be isolated to maintain
the functional air for the other areas.
Seasonal compressed
air routing might direct hot air to help heat or direct under ground
to cool at appropriate times like a heat pump that heats and cools.
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