Carrier gas reclamation system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017341018-A1
Application number	US-201615169124-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 31, 2016
Priority date	May 31, 2016
Publication date	Nov 30, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A carrier gas recovery system for use in cold spray manufacturing recovers carrier gas utilized during the cold spray process and recycles the carrier gas for immediate use or stores the carrier gas for future use. The carrier gas recovery system includes an enclosure subsystem, a filtration subsystem, a reclamation subsystem, and a compensation subsystem. An article is placed in the enclosure and particulate matter is carried to the article on a carrier gas stream. Carrier gas in the enclosure is filtered through the filtration subsystem to remove particulate from the carrier gas, and the filtered carrier gas is fed to the reclamation subsystem. The carrier gas either flows to a gas separator, to increase the concentration of carrier gas, or to the compensation subsystem if the carrier gas concentration is sufficiently high. The carrier gas can be stored in the compensation subsystem or used in further cold spray manufacturing.

First claim

1 . A carrier gas reclamation system comprising:
an enclosure configured to house an article; a dust collector subsystem disposed downstream of the enclosure and configured to receive a carrier gas from the enclosure and produce a filtered gas; a reclamation subsystem disposed downstream of the dust collector subsystem and configured to receive the filtered gas from the dust collector subsystem, wherein the reclamation subsystem includes:
a first control valve;
a second control valve; and
a gas separator configured to receive the filtered gas from the first control valve and increase a concentration of the carrier gas to provide a purified gas; and
a compensation subsystem configured to receive the purified gas through the second control valve.

2 . The carrier gas reclamation system of claim 1 , wherein the gas separator is configured to provide the purified gas to the enclosure.

3 . The carrier gas reclamation system of claim 1 , and further comprising:
a gas analyzer disposed upstream of the first control valve and the second control valve.

4 . The carrier gas reclamation system of claim 3 , wherein the first control valve is configured to remain open when the filtered gas is below 99% carrier gas and to close when the filtered gas is 99% carrier gas and above, and wherein the second control valve is configured to remain closed when the filtered gas is below 99% carrier gas and to open when the filtered gas is 99% carrier gas and above.

5 . The carrier gas reclamation system of claim 1 , wherein the reclamation subsystem further comprises:
a first compressor disposed between the first control valve and the gas separator; and a second compressor disposed downstream of the second control valve.

6 . The carrier gas reclamation system of claim 1 , wherein the compensation subsystem further comprises:
a storage tank configured to provide gas to the enclosure; and a high pressure compressor disposed between the second control valve and the storage tank.

7 . The carrier gas reclamation system of claim 1 , and further comprising:
a gas analyzer attached to the enclosure and configured to sense a gas composition within the enclosure.

8 . The carrier gas reclamation system of claim 1 , wherein the gas separator comprises a membrane-based purifier.

9 . The carrier gas reclamation system of claim 1 , wherein the gas separator comprises a pressure swing adsorption purifier.

10 . The carrier gas reclamation system of claim 1 , wherein the gas separator is connected to the enclosure and configured to provide the purified gas to the enclosure.

11 . A carrier gas reclamation process comprising:
purging an enclosure with a purge gas; flowing a carrier gas stream from a first source through the enclosure and past an article, whereby a particulate carried by the carrier gas stream is deposited on the article; flowing the carrier gas from the enclosure and to a reclamation subsystem; flowing a purified carrier gas from the reclamation subsystem and to the enclosure to increase a carrier gas concentration in the enclosure; and flowing the purified carrier gas from the enclosure to a carrier gas storage tank when the carrier gas concentration within the enclosure reaches a predetermined level.

12 . The carrier gas reclamation process of claim 11 , wherein the step of purging an enclosure with a gas further comprises:
flowing the purge gas through the enclosure, wherein the purge gas comprises nitrogen; and sensing a concentration of oxygen and water moisture in the enclosure.

13 . The carrier gas reclamation process of claim 11 , wherein the step of flowing the carrier gas from the enclosure and to the reclamation subsystem further comprises:
flowing the carrier gas through a dust collector subsystem to remove the particulate from the carrier gas and produce a filtered carrier gas; and determining a carrier gas concentration in the filtered carrier gas upstream of the reclamation subsystem.

14 . The carrier gas reclamation process of claim 13 , wherein the step of flowing the carrier gas through a dust collector subsystem to remove the particulate from the carrier gas and produce a filtered carrier gas further comprises:
flowing the carrier gas through a filtration subsystem to produce the filtered carrier gas; flowing a first portion of the filtered carrier gas to the enclosure; and flowing a second portion of the filtered carrier gas to the reclamation subsystem.

15 . The carrier gas reclamation process of claim 13 , wherein the step of determining a carrier gas concentration in the filtered carrier gas upstream of the reclamation subsystem further comprises:
sensing the carrier gas concentration with a gas analyzer; commanding a first control valve based on the carrier gas concentration; and commanding a second control valve based on the carrier gas concentration.

16 . The carrier gas reclamation process of claim 15 , and further comprising:
opening the first control valve when the carrier gas concentration is below 99%; and flowing the carrier gas through the first control valve and to a carrier gas purifier.

17 . The carrier gas reclamation process of claim 15 , and further comprising:
opening the second control valve when the carrier gas concentration is 99% and above; and flowing the carrier gas through the second control valve.

18 . The carrier gas reclamation process of claim 11 , wherein the step of flowing the purified carrier gas from the enclosure to a purified carrier gas storage tank when the carrier gas concentration within the enclosure reaches a predetermined concentration further comprises:
sensing the carrier gas concentration in the enclosure; bypassing the reclamation subsystem with the purified carrier gas provided from the enclosure when the carrier gas concentration is equal to or above the predetermined concentration; and storing the purified carrier gas in the purified carrier gas storage tank.

19 . The carrier gas reclamation process of claim 18 , wherein the carrier gas concentration is equal to or above the predetermined concentration when the carrier gas concentration is 99% and above.

20 . The carrier gas reclamation process of claim 11 , and further comprising:
ceasing the flow of carrier gas from the first source when the carrier gas concentration is at the predetermined level; and supplying the carrier gas for the carrier gas stream from the purified carrier gas storage tank.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• She Ying
• Nardi Aaron T
• Binek Lawrence
• Kuczek Andrzej Ernest
• Dardas Zissis A

Classifications

• B01D46/0036

  by adsorption or absorption · CPC title

• B33Y40/00

  Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling · CPC title

• C23C24/04

  Impact or kinetic deposition of particles · CPC title

• B01D46/0027

  with additional separating or treating functions · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title