Air humidification assembly and method for humidifying an air flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air humidification systems lack precise control over the amount of liquid sprayed into the air flow, leading to inefficiencies in achieving desired humidity levels and potential residual water issues.
Innovation Solution
The air humidification system employs a nozzle arrangement with multiple spray groups, each controllable individually, using pulse-width modulation to adjust the liquid dispensing duration and combining groups for varying spray outputs, along with sensors to maintain optimal wet-bulb temperature alignment, ensuring precise humidity control and minimizing residual water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple nozzles are provided with individual control valves, then control precision of liquid amount is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle arrangement is divided into multiple independently controllable spray groups, each with its own control valve. This segmentation allows precise control of liquid distribution by activating only the necessary groups, resolving the contradiction between control precision and device complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs pulse-width modulation (PWM) to control nozzle operation, switching nozzles on and off in periodic cycles with variable duty cycles. This periodic action enables precise liquid amount control without requiring complex continuous flow regulation mechanisms, thus improving control precision while managing device complexity.
2Productivity
If liquid is atomized at high pressure to form aerosol, then humidification efficiency is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
High-pressure liquid injection is applied periodically through PWM control rather than continuously. The nozzles operate in pulsed cycles, maintaining high-pressure atomization efficiency when active while reducing overall energy consumption through intermittent operation, thus resolving the contradiction between humidification efficiency and energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts injection pressure and pulse width parameters to optimize the balance between atomization quality and energy consumption. By varying these parameters based on humidity requirements, the system maintains high humidification efficiency while minimizing energy input.
3Quantity of substance
If continuous liquid supply is used, then humidification coverage is improved, but residual water accumulation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous liquid supply is replaced with periodic pulsed injection through PWM-controlled nozzles. This creates intermittent wetting patterns that allow evaporation between pulses, preventing residual water accumulation while maintaining adequate humidification coverage through cumulative liquid delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies liquid in controlled partial doses through pulse-width modulation rather than continuous full flow. By delivering only the necessary amount in distributed pulses, the system achieves adequate humidification coverage while avoiding excessive liquid application that would lead to residual water problems.
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
This approach allows for fine-tuned control of air humidity, reducing residual water and optimizing moisture introduction, thereby enhancing the efficiency and precision of air humidification processes.
Implementation Method 1
The liquid is atomized through the nozzles at relatively high pressure to form an aerosol, most of which is intended to evaporate in the air flow.
Implementation Method 2
The liquid is atomized through the nozzles at relatively high pressure to form an aerosol
Implementation Method 3
Another application is the adiabatic cooling of air, where the temperature is reduced by the evaporation of the sprayed liquid.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
An air humidifying arrangement (1) is specified with a humidifying section (2), an air flow generating device (3) for generating an air flow through the humidifying section (2), a nozzle arrangement (5) arranged in the area of the humidifying section (2), a liquid supply device (6, 7) which is connected to the nozzle arrangement (5), and a control device (17) which controls a supply of the nozzle arrangement (5) with liquid. One would like to achieve the most precise possible control of the air humidification. For this purpose, the nozzle arrangement (5) has at least two spray groups (8-10), each with at least one nozzle (18-20), each spray group (8-10) being individually controllable and the nozzles (18-20) being pulse-width modulated are controlled.