Aerosol-Cooling Element With Peripheral Openings

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Heated aerosol-generating articles often cause discomfort due to high mouthpiece temperatures, especially in hot and humid conditions, as sensitive tissues come into contact with overheated surfaces, triggering thermoreceptors and leading to discomfort or pain.

Innovation Solution

An aerosol-cooling element with a hollow tubular segment featuring a transverse wall and peripheral openings is integrated into the article, which divides the tubular segment into upstream and downstream cavities, facilitating fluid communication and heat transfer, thereby cooling the aerosol and reducing surface temperatures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a cooling element is added to lower mouthpiece temperature, then user comfort is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemouthpiece temperatureVSAvoidstructure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cooling element is divided into two functional cavities (first cavity for aerosol intake, second cavity for cooled aerosol discharge) separated by a transverse wall with openings. This segmentation allows the aerosol stream to traverse through the cooling element, enabling efficient heat transfer while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that integrates seamlessly into the existing aerosol-generating article.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cooling element acts as an intermediary component between the aerosol-generating substrate and the mouthpiece. It introduces a thermal buffer zone where the aerosol can be cooled before reaching the user's lips, thereby reducing the harmful thermal effect without requiring major modifications to the heating or delivery systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Temperature

If a hollow tubular cooling element with cavities is used, then cooling efficiency is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaerosol temperatureVSAvoidmanufacturing simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The transverse wall incorporates openings that function similarly to porous structures, allowing the aerosol stream to pass through while facilitating heat exchange between the aerosol and the cooling element walls. This approach achieves effective cooling without requiring complex internal geometries or difficult-to-manufacture porous materials, as the openings can be easily formed during manufacturing processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The cooling element's geometry parameters (cavity volumes, opening sizes and positions, wall thickness) are optimized to achieve the desired cooling effect. By adjusting these parameters, efficient heat transfer is achieved while maintaining compatibility with standard manufacturing processes, thus balancing cooling performance with manufacturing ease.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of energy

If peripheral openings are added to the cooling element, then heat dissipation is improved, but structural integrity may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipationVSAvoidstructural strength

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

Peripheral openings are strategically positioned and sized to optimize heat dissipation at specific locations where thermal management is most critical. The openings are concentrated in regions where they provide maximum cooling benefit while minimizing impact on overall structural strength. The transverse wall and cavity structure provide localized reinforcement where needed to maintain integrity despite the presence of openings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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 aerosol-cooling element effectively lowers the temperature of the aerosol and surface contact points, preventing discomfort and pain, while being lightweight and easily manufacturable for integration into existing production lines without major equipment modifications.

Implementation Method 1

facilitating fluid communication and heat transfer, thereby cooling the aerosol and reducing surface temperatures

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHeat transfer: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS20220312832A1Aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-cooling element with peripheral openings

Publication Date: 2022.10.06 PHILIP MORRIS PRODUCTS SA

AI summary

An aerosol-generating article is provided, including: a rod of aerosol-generating substrate including an aerosol former, the substrate having an aerosol former content of greater than 10 percent on a dry weight basis; a hollow tubular support element immediately downstream of the rod; and a first aerosol-cooling element downstream of the support element and including a hollow tubular segment including peripheral and transverse walls at a location between upstream and downstream ends of the tubular segment such that it defines a first cavity upstream of the transverse wall and a second cavity downstream of the transverse wall, the transverse wall including openings establishing fluid communication between the first and second cavities, and the peripheral wall including openings located at longitudinal positions away from the transverse wall so that fluid communication between an exterior of the tubular segment and at least one of the first and second cavities is established.