A device and method for online detection of aerosol release from heated smokable articles

Abstract

The present application belongs to the field of heating non-combustion product detection equipment, and particularly relates to a device and method for online detection of aerosol release amount of heated smoking cigarette, which comprises: successively connected volume-adjustable cavity (1), cigarette heating cylinder (4) and cigarette perforation air intake detection box (3), wherein the cigarette perforation air intake detection box (3) has a cigarette insertion port for inserting and deepening into the cigarette heating cylinder (4), and the cigarette perforation air intake detection box (3) further has a gas flow meter (32) arranged on the air inlet pipeline (31) thereof; the volume-adjustable cavity (1) is provided with a temperature sensor (7) and a gas pressure sensor (8). The present application can quickly obtain the aerosol production amount of the brand cigarette, does not need to use a Cambridge filter for trapping and weighing, can greatly improve the detection efficiency, is suitable for batch product factory stability detection, can realize real-time analysis of aerosol production amount in the single suction process of the suction process, and can greatly improve the time resolution of detection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of testing equipment for heated non-combustible products, specifically relating to an apparatus and method for online detection of the aerosol release amount of heated and smoke-generating cigarettes. Background Technology

[0002] Heated tobacco products have been an important development direction in the tobacco industry in recent years, and electrically heated cigarettes are the most popular among them. Electrically heated cigarettes typically consist of a cigarette and a device that provides heating temperature and a seal. Compared with traditional cigarettes, their low temperature and non-combustible characteristics offer excellent harm reduction potential.

[0003] During the smoking process of heated cigarettes, the single-puff capacity V (for example, using a simulated smoking machine commonly used in the tobacco industry, the single-puff capacity is fixed at 55mL) is typically composed of three parts: air V1 from the front end of the cigarette, hot airflow V2 generated by heating the cigarette material section, and air V3 from the perforated side wall at the rear end of the cigarette. Because heated cigarettes are used at relatively low temperatures, typically below 350℃, their smoke aerosol contains very few carbon-based solid particles. Instead, it exists primarily as small droplets formed by the condensation of substances such as water, glycerol, propylene glycol, and nicotine in the hot airflow V2. Therefore, changes in the volume of V2 determine the changes in the amount of heated cigarette smoke aerosol released.

[0004] The aerosols produced by the heating, distillation, and condensation of the aforementioned cigarette materials are the main components consumed by consumers, and their quantity is a major factor affecting the sensory experience of heated cigarettes. Traditional methods assess the amount of aerosol collected (ACM) by weighing the aerosols collected in the smoke onto a Cambridge filter. While this method has many advantages, it requires manual weighing using a precision balance before and after smoke collection. Furthermore, because the amount of aerosol released from a single cigarette is small, it is usually necessary to concentrate the smoke from several cigarettes onto the same filter to meet the required weighing accuracy. Therefore, this method significantly impacts detection efficiency, and it is difficult to achieve real-time detection of the amount of aerosol generated during the smoking process of a single cigarette. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a method for online detection of aerosols in cigarette smoke to achieve online evaluation of the stability of heated cigarette smoke. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address at least one of the above problems, the present invention is proposed.

[0006] The first aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for online detection of the aerosol release of a heated cigarette, the apparatus comprising: an adjustable-volume cavity 1, a cigarette heating cylinder 4, and a cigarette perforation air intake detection box 3 connected in sequence, wherein the cigarette perforation air intake detection box 3 has a cigarette insertion port for inserting a cigarette into the cigarette heating cylinder 4, and the cigarette perforation air intake detection box 3 also has a gas flow meter 32 disposed on its air intake pipe 31; the adjustable-volume cavity 1 is provided with a temperature sensor 7 and a pressure sensor 8.

[0007] The air intake detection box 3 at the perforation of the cigarette stick is equipped with sealing rings 5 ​​on both sides to ensure a tight seal.

[0008] Preferably, a one-way valve is provided on the air intake pipe 31.

[0009] Preferably, the volume-adjustable chamber 1 includes a sleeve and a piston 2 disposed within the sleeve, and the volume is adjusted by the movement of the piston 2; preferably, the sleeve or the piston 2 is provided with a scale line indicating the volume.

[0010] Preferably, the cigarette heating cylinder 4 includes a circumferential heater or a central heater or a combination of both.

[0011] Preferably, the size of the air intake detection box 3 at the cigarette hole is such that the hole on the side wall of the cigarette is located inside the air intake detection box 3 after the cigarette is inserted.

[0012] Preferably, the adjustable volume cavity 1, the cigarette heating cylinder 4, and the air intake detection box 3 at the cigarette hole are airtightly connected, so that the only air intake channel for outside air after the cigarette is inserted is the air intake pipe 31.

[0013] Preferably, the adjustable-volume cavity 1 is further provided with an oxygen concentration sensor 9.

[0014] Preferably, the volume adjustment range of the volume-adjustable cavity (1) is 0-35 mL.

[0015] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for online detection of aerosol release from a heated cigarette, comprising the following steps:

[0016] (1) Insert the cigarette into the cigarette insertion hole until it is inserted into the cigarette heating cylinder 4;

[0017] (2) Set and record the volume of the adjustable cavity (1), keep the volume unchanged, and record the initial temperature T0 and pressure P0 through temperature sensor 7 and air pressure sensor 8.

[0018] (3) Heat the cigarette and use a smoking machine to draw it with a fixed suction volume V. Record the temperature and pressure at any two moments t1 and t2 within one suction using temperature sensor 7 and pressure sensor 8, respectively, as T1 and T2, and P2 and P2. According to the ideal gas equation PV = nRT, obtain the difference in the amount of gas at these two moments.

[0019] (4) Calculate the volume of air V1 that enters the front end of the cigarette from the adjustable cavity during the suction process at time t1-t2 using the ideal gas equation P0V1=△nRT0;

[0020] (5) The volume of air V3 entering the cigarette through the perforation of the cigarette is obtained by reading the gas flow meter (32) at time t1-t2.

[0021] (6) If t1-t2 corresponds to the two time points at the beginning and end of a single puff, the volume of hot airflow V2 generated by heating the tobacco material section can be obtained by the formula V2=V-V1-V3; if t1 and t2 are two time points within a single puff (not the beginning and end), then V needs to be obtained by integrating t2-t1 with the puffing rate of the smoking machine.

[0022] (7) The amount of cigarette aerosol released is calculated based on the predetermined correspondence between the volume of hot gas flow V2 and the amount of aerosol collected.

[0023] Preferably, the oxygen concentration in the volume-adjustable cavity 1 is also monitored by an oxygen concentration sensor 9, thereby measuring the amount of aerosol released under oxygen-deficient heating conditions.

[0024] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0025] 1. After establishing a regression curve for a specific brand of cigarettes, this invention can quickly obtain the amount of aerosol generated per puff of that brand of cigarettes without the need for Cambridge filters for collection and weighing, which can greatly improve the detection efficiency and is suitable for batch product stability testing.

[0026] 2. This detection method can realize real-time analysis of the amount of aerosol generated during the single-port suction process, which can greatly improve the time resolution of the detection.

[0027] 3. The basic data required for this detection method can be obtained from a flow meter, a pressure sensor, and a temperature sensor. It is inexpensive and requires no consumables during use.

[0028] 4. The device used for this detection method has a simple structure, low production cost, and is easy to promote. The adjustable volume of the device can be adjusted within a certain range and can be used for multi-data determination of various brands of heated cigarettes. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure for online detection of aerosol release from heated cigarettes.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a linear relationship between the volume of the hot gas flow (V2) and the amount of aerosol trapped.

[0031] List of reference numerals in the attached diagram: 1. Adjustable volume cavity; 2. Piston; 3. Air intake detection box at the perforation point of the cigarette; 31. Air intake pipe; 32. Gas flow meter; 4. Cigarette heating cylinder; 5. Sealing ring; 6. Cigarette; 7. Temperature sensor; 8. Gas pressure sensor; 9. Oxygen concentration sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present invention will be further described below through specific embodiments.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] This embodiment provides an online device for detecting the aerosol release of a heated cigarette. The device includes: an adjustable-volume cavity 1, a cigarette heating cylinder 4, and a cigarette perforation air intake detection box 3 connected in sequence. The cigarette perforation air intake detection box 3 has a cigarette insertion port for inserting the cigarette into the cigarette heating cylinder 4. The cigarette perforation air intake detection box 3 also has a gas flow meter 32 installed on its air intake pipe 31. The adjustable-volume cavity 1 is equipped with a temperature sensor 7 and a pressure sensor 8. A sealing ring 5 is installed on each side of the cigarette perforation air intake detection box 3.

[0035] The volume-adjustable chamber 1 includes a sleeve and a piston 2 disposed within the sleeve, and the volume is adjusted by the movement of the piston 2.

[0036] The cigarette heating cylinder 4 is a circumferential heater.

[0037] The dimensions of the air intake detection box 3 at the cigarette hole are such that the hole on the side wall of the cigarette is located inside the air intake detection box 3 after the cigarette is inserted.

[0038] The adjustable volume cavity 1, the cigarette heating cylinder 4, and the air intake detection box 3 at the cigarette hole are airtightly connected, and the only air intake channel for outside air is the air intake pipe 31.

[0039] The adjustable-volume cavity 1 is also equipped with an oxygen concentration sensor 9.

[0040] The adjustable cavity 1 is set to a volume of 20 mL.

[0041] The volume adjustable cavity 1 is fixed by means of a piston 2 threadedly connected to the volume adjustable cavity 1.

[0042] Example 2

[0043] In this embodiment, the aerosol release of brand 1 heated cigarettes was tested.

[0044] Insert the brand 1 cigarette 6 into the cigarette insertion hole until it is inserted into the cigarette heating cylinder 4;

[0045] The volume of the adjustable cavity 1 is set and recorded as 5 mL. This volume is kept constant. The initial temperature T0 is recorded as 25 °C and the pressure P0 is recorded as 1 atm by the temperature sensor 7 and the pressure sensor 8.

[0046] A cigarette (brand 1) was heated and drawn into the air using a smoking machine with a suction volume V of 55ml. Temperature sensor 7 and pressure sensor 8 recorded the temperatures and pressures at the beginning and end of each draw, t1 and t2, respectively: T1 = 70℃, T2 = 80℃, P1 = 0.9 atm, and P2 = 0.8 atm. Based on the ideal gas equation PV = nRT, the difference in the amount of gaseous substance at these two moments was obtained.

[0047] The volume of air entering the tip of the cigarette from the adjustable cavity during the suction process at time t1-t2 is calculated to be V1 = 4.26 mL using the ideal gas equation P0V1 = ΔnRT0.

[0048] The air volume V3 = 38 mL entering the brand 1 cigarette 6 through the perforation at time t1-t2 was obtained from the reading of gas flow meter 32.

[0049] The volume of hot airflow generated by heating the material section of brand 1 cigarette (6 parts) using the formula V2 = V - V1 - V3 is calculated to be 12.74 mL.

[0050] Based on the pre-determined relationship between the thermal gas flow volume V2 and the amount of aerosol trapped,

[0051] A = 0.5345V² + 0.1916, the linear relationship is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the real-time volumes of V2 were measured at three time points within a certain aspiration port: 1 mL, 5 mL, and 10 mL, respectively. Therefore, the aerosol production amounts at the three time points were 0.7 mg, 2.9 mg, and 5.5 mg, respectively.

[0052] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for online detection of aerosol release from a heated cigarette, characterized in that, Using the following device: The device includes: an adjustable volume cavity (1), a cigarette heating cylinder (4), and a cigarette perforation air intake detection box (3) connected in sequence. The cigarette perforation air intake detection box (3) has a cigarette insertion port for inserting a cigarette into the cigarette heating cylinder (4). The cigarette perforation air intake detection box (3) also has a gas flow meter (32) installed on its air intake pipe (31). The adjustable volume cavity (1) is equipped with a temperature sensor (7) and a pressure sensor (8). It includes the following steps: (1) Insert the cigarette into the cigarette insertion port until it is inserted into the cigarette heating cylinder (4); (2) Set and record the volume of the adjustable cavity (1), keep the volume unchanged, and record the initial temperature T0 and pressure P0 through the temperature sensor (7) and the pressure sensor (8); (3) Heat the cigarette and use a smoking machine to draw in a fixed volume of V. Record the temperature and pressure at any two moments t1 and t2 within a single draw using temperature sensor (7) and pressure sensor (8), respectively, as T1 and T2, and P1 and P2. According to the ideal gas equation The difference in the amount of gaseous substance at these two moments is obtained. ; (4) Using the ideal gas equation Calculation time During the inhalation process, the volume V1 of air entering the front end of the cigarette through the adjustable cavity; (5) Through The reading of the gas flow meter (32) at a given time is used to obtain the volume of air entering the cigarette through the perforation. ; (6) Through the formula The volume of hot gas flow generated by heating the tobacco material section is obtained. ; (7) Based on the predetermined hot gas flow volume The aerosol release amount of cigarettes can be calculated by comparing the correlation between the amount of aerosols captured and the amount of aerosols collected.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustable cavity (1) includes a sleeve and a piston (2) disposed in the sleeve, and the volume is adjusted by the movement of the piston (2); the sleeve or the piston (2) is provided with a scale line indicating the volume.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cigarette heating cylinder (4) includes a circumferential heater or a central heater or a combination of both.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dimensions of the air intake detection box (3) at the cigarette hole are such that the hole on the side wall of the cigarette is located inside the air intake detection box (3) after the cigarette is inserted.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustable volume cavity (1), the cigarette heating cylinder (4), and the air intake detection box (3) at the cigarette hole are connected in an airtight manner. The only air intake channel for outside air after the cigarette is inserted is the air intake pipe (31).

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, An oxygen concentration sensor (9) is also provided inside the adjustable cavity (1).

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The volume adjustment range of the adjustable cavity (1) is 0-35mL.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustable cavity (1) has a fixed volume facility.

9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The oxygen concentration in the volume-adjustable cavity (1) is also monitored by an oxygen concentration sensor (9), thereby measuring the amount of aerosol released under oxygen-deficient heating conditions.

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