Apparatus for vaporizing volatile substances

Abstract

An apparatus for vaporizing a volatile substance, comprising: a porous element (1) impregnated with a product comprising a volatile substance; a heater (2) that heats the porous element (1) to evaporate the volatile substance; wherein the porous element (1) and the heater (2) have a cylindrical shape, and the heater (2) is placed around the porous element (1). It allows for the provision of an apparatus for vaporizing a volatile substance comprising a solid porous carrier having a high absorption capacity for a volatile substance placed in direct association with a heating element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vaporizing device for volatile substances, and in particular to a portable device for vaporizing volatile substances. Background Art

[0002] The two most important categories of electrical heating devices for evaporating volatile substances are primarily systems with bottle and wick, and systems with impregnated tablets.

[0003] Tablets are usually used for substances with a low evaporation rate and short duration due to their low content. An example of this type of tablet is an insecticide tablet for indoor applications. These tablets have a flat structure so that most of the surface is exposed to heat and must be replaced after a few hours of use. The typical amount of insecticide required indoors is about 0.5-2 mg / hour. The capacity of a flat pad is in the range of hundreds of mg.

[0004] Bottles with wicks have a higher output and last longer. Examples of such bottles with wicks are air fresheners or pest control devices that can last for weeks, sometimes even outdoors.

[0005] In these cases, the wick is constantly impregnated with a liquid containing a volatile substance in the bottle, which must be sealed to prevent evaporation of the liquid. Typical evaporation rates for such products are 30 mg-60 mg / hour. The capacity of the bottle is generally between 20 ml and 40 ml (approximately 20 g to 40 g).

[0006] Electrical heating devices for evaporating volatile substances require considerable energy to achieve the target evaporation rate and target duration and therefore must be directly connected to a continuous and relevant energy source.

[0007] Therefore, these types of vaporizing devices are not a solution for efficient release of volatile materials in large quantities per hour, but rather a solution for short durations (eg, less than a day), and they are powered by small, non-continuous energy sources, such as rechargeable batteries. Summary of the invention

[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device for evaporating volatile substances, the device comprising a solid porous carrier having a high absorption capacity for volatile substances placed in direct relation to a heating element.

[0009] With the device for evaporating volatile substances according to the invention, the disadvantages are solved and further advantages are exhibited which will be described below.

[0010] The apparatus for evaporating volatile substances is described in claim 1, and further optional features are included in the dependent claims.

[0011] In particular, the apparatus for evaporating volatile substances according to the present invention comprises:

[0012] - a porous element impregnated with a product comprising a volatile substance;

[0013] - a heater which heats the porous element to evaporate the volatile substances;

[0014] The porous element and the heater have a cylindrical shape, and the heater is placed around the porous element.

[0015] Preferably, the height of the porous element is greater than the height of the heater, and the ratio between the height of the heater and the height of the porous element is between 30% and 60% to improve the ability to evaporate the liquid insecticide impregnating the porous element in a more constant manner (i.e., from start to finish).

[0016] This improvement is related to the progressive redistribution of the insecticide in the porous element as it evaporates. Exposing more of the porous element area to the heat allows for more efficient evaporation of all the insecticide in a constant and more energy-efficient manner.

[0017] Furthermore, the heater is preferably placed in a central position relative to the height of the porous element.

[0018] The device for evaporating volatile substances according to the present invention can further comprise a reflecting element placed around the heater.

[0019] Advantageously, the porous element is mounted on a carrier which allows correct positioning of the porous element, for example by means of longitudinal ribs.

[0020] Furthermore, the heater preferably has a variable heating capacity that increases progressively. To this end, the heater is connected to a power source (e.g. a battery) and a control unit that determines the power supplied to the heater, which increases progressively. This progressive heating is intended to compensate for the reduction in evaporation of the active ingredient.

[0021] Furthermore, it is preferred that the diameter of the porous element is between 4 mm and 8 mm, and that there is an air gap between 1 mm and 3 mm between the porous element and the heater.

[0022] These values ​​are not only design options, they also provide for optimized operation of the device according to the invention, since if they were made larger, the energy would not be used efficiently, while if they were made smaller, the energy transfer and evaporation effect would be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] For a better understanding of what has been disclosed, some of the drawings show in them, schematically and purely by way of non-limiting example, practical aspects of an embodiment.

[0024] Figure 1is a sectional front view of an apparatus for evaporating volatile substances according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The device for evaporating volatile substances according to the invention comprises a porous element 1 which, in the embodiment shown, is a porous cylindrical element made of fibres having an absorption capacity per unit weight higher than 100%.

[0026] The porous element 1 is impregnated with a product comprising volatile substances. It must be pointed out that the porous element 1 is not in contact with a liquid as is usually the case in some devices for evaporating volatile substances, but the product is incorporated in the porous element 1 .

[0027] The device for evaporating volatile substances according to the invention further comprises a heater 2 which, according to the embodiment shown, also has a cylindrical geometry. The heater 2 can be ceramic, for example.

[0028] Preferably, the diameter of the porous element is between 4 mm and 8 mm, and there is an air gap between the porous element and the heater of between 1 mm and 3 mm.

[0029] These values ​​are not only design options, they also provide for optimized operation of the device according to the invention, since if they were made larger, the energy would not be used efficiently, while if they were made smaller, the energy transfer and evaporation effect would be reduced.

[0030] According to a preferred embodiment, the ratio between the height of the heater 2 and the length of the porous element 1 is between 30-50%, for example 40%, so that the porous element 1 is longer than the heater 2, such as Figure 1 This ratio ensures an optimal utilization of the product containing the volatile substance in the porous element 1 , since its concentration in the porous element 1 reduces the time for redistribution in the porous element 1 by capillary action.

[0031] Furthermore, the heater 2 surrounds only the central part of the porous element 1, ie it is not placed on the top side of the porous element 1. This allows the product to be supplied more to the central part of the porous element 1 by capillary action.

[0032] The porous element 1 is designed to be used for a limited predetermined period of time. By way of example only, in the porous element 1, for evaporation of 100 mg / hour for 20 hours, the weight of the volatile substance is approximately 2 grams.

[0033] Additionally, the porous element 1 is mounted on a carrier 3 which, during its use, presses the porous element 1 so that the correct evaporation rate can be achieved. The carrier 3 may be made of an elastic material for applying the pressure to the porous element 1 .

[0034] Furthermore, during the impregnation of the porous element 1 , when the product containing the volatile substance is applied to the porous element 1 , the porous element 1 is pressurized, and when the pressure is released, the porous element 1 is impregnated very quickly.

[0035] Additionally, the heater 2 is designed to gradually increase heating to compensate for the natural reduction in evaporation due to the lower level of volatiles in the porous element 1. The curve of this increase in heating will be adjusted during the development of the product and will depend on the evaporation and viscosity of the insecticide formulation, the characteristics of the porous element, the heater structure and size. For example, for a heating element with a length of 20 mm and using a 45 mm polyester fiber core, the heating temperature is varied in a linear mode from 110°C to 140°C to maintain an evaporation rate between 87 mg / hour and 91 mg / hour.

[0036] In order to increase the heating of the porous element 1 , the device for evaporating volatile substances according to the invention can also comprise a reflecting element 4 placed around the heater 2 .

[0037] Although reference has been made to particular embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that the device described is susceptible to numerous variations and modifications and that all the details mentioned may be replaced by other technically equivalent ones, without departing from the scope of protection defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for evaporating volatile substances, comprising: - a porous element (1) impregnated with a product comprising a volatile substance; - a heater (2) which heats the porous element (1) to evaporate the volatile substance; The porous element (1) and the heater (2) have a cylindrical shape, and the heater (2) is placed around the porous element (1).

2. The device for evaporating volatile substances according to claim 1, wherein: The height of the porous element (1) is greater than the height of the heater (2), and the ratio between the height of the heater (2) and the height of the porous element (1) is between 30% and 60%.

3. The device for evaporating volatile substances according to claim 2, wherein: The heater (2) is placed in a central position relative to the height of the porous element (1).

4. An apparatus for evaporating volatile substances according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The device also includes a reflective element (4) placed around the heater (2).

5. An apparatus for evaporating volatile substances according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The porous element (1) is mounted on a carrier (3), and the carrier (3) presses the porous element (1).

6. The device for evaporating volatile substances according to claim 5, wherein: The carrier (3) is made of elastic material.

7. An apparatus for evaporating volatile substances according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The heater (2) has a variable heating capacity that increases progressively.

8. Apparatus for evaporating volatile substances according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The diameter of the porous element (1) is between 4 mm and 8 mm.

9. An apparatus for evaporating volatile substances according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: There is an air gap between the porous element (1) and the heater (2) ranging from 1 mm to 3 mm.

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