Additive-Manufactured Wettable Media Pads With Hexagonal Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wetted media pads for liquid desiccant air conditioning systems are rigid, large, and inefficient due to glue, weld, or bond lines, which restricts energy transfer, filtration, and purification capabilities, and are difficult to transport and handle due to their size and non-compressible nature.
Innovation Solution
A wettable media pad with a porous, non-woven structure featuring hexagonal channels produced through additive manufacturing without weld, bond, or glue lines, allowing for compressibility and customizable hole sizes and undulations to enhance energy transfer and filtration efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If existing media pads are made rigid and large for structural stability and energy exchange, then they maintain structural integrity, but they become difficult to transport and handle
Solution Approach 1:
The media pad structure transitions from a static rigid form to a dynamic collapsible form. The channels are configured to allow the media pad to collapse into a compact configuration for transportation and then expand to a full operational configuration when in use, enabling easy handling while maintaining structural integrity during operation
Solution Approach 2:
The media pad channels are designed to nest together when collapsed, with the porous walls and channel structures allowing one section to fit within or alongside another, creating a compact transport configuration that expands to the full structural form during operation
2Strength
If media pads are constructed with glue, weld, or bond lines to join sheets, then they form a complete structure, but the usable wetted surface area is reduced and energy transfer efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The media pad is constructed as a single integrated porous structure where the channels are formed continuously through the material without separate joining operations. This merging of the structural elements eliminates glue, weld, or bond lines that would otherwise interrupt the wetted surface and reduce energy transfer efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The use of porous material allows the formation of a continuous integrated structure with internal channels that provide both structural completeness and maximum wetted surface area. The porosity enables the material to be formed as one piece without requiring traditional joining methods that would create non-wettable bond lines
3Area of stationary object
If media pads are made large to provide sufficient surface area for energy exchange, then energy transfer capability increases, but transportation space and effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The media pad employs a dynamic volume configuration that is large when expanded for energy exchange operations but collapses to a compact form for transportation. The channel structure allows the pad to maintain its large surface area during operation while reducing to minimal transportation volume during shipping and storage
Solution Approach 2:
The media pad utilizes dimensional transformation by collapsing in the vertical or lateral dimensions during transportation while maintaining the essential surface area characteristics when expanded. This allows the same structure to occupy different volume states without compromising its energy exchange capability when in use
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables maximum surface area utilization for energy transfer and filtration, reduces transportation and handling challenges through compressibility, and eliminates inefficiencies caused by glue or bond lines, while maintaining structural integrity and efficiency in various configurations.
Implementation Method 1
a porous structure made from a non-woven material, comprising a plurality channels having a hexagonal cross-section
Implementation Method 2
exchange heat and mass between a fluid positioned on or in at least one of the walls of the channels and a gas flowing through the channels
Implementation Method 3
exchange heat and mass between a fluid positioned on or in at least one of the walls of the channels and a gas flowing through the channels
Data Source
AI summary
A wettable media pad comprises an inlet side and an outlet side and a porous structure made from a non-woven material, comprising a plurality channels having a hexagonal cross-section defined by six walls, the channels running from the inlet side to the outlet side, wherein the wettable media pad is configured to direct fluid from a top surface of the media pad to a bottom surface of the media pad along at least one of the walls of the channels, wherein the wettable media pad is configured to exchange heat and mass between a fluid positioned on or in a wall of the channels and a gas flowing through the channels as the gas flows from the inlet side to the outlet side, and wherein the wettable media pad is produced with additive manufacturing. A method of making a wettable media pad is also described.