Blower Impeller Venting for Compact Engine Cooling Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable blower/aspirator devices face challenges in achieving efficient engine cooling within a compact structure, as prior cooling systems require precise ratios between hot-air inlet and blower wheel dimensions to prevent airflow obstruction, limiting design flexibility and potentially leading to high operational temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A portable blower/aspirator device featuring a conical cooling fan and a blower impeller with a vane group and vents arranged radially, allowing for efficient mixing and expulsion of hot and cool air, ensuring effective engine cooling without obstructing airflow, even in a compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a blower wheel with both inlet and outlet vanes is used to cool the engine, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for precise dimensional ratios between hot-air inlet opening and blower wheel components
Solution Approach 1:
The blower wheel is segmented into two distinct functional zones: an inner region with inlet vanes for drawing in hot air from the engine housing, and an outer region with outlet vanes for expelling cooled air. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized independently, eliminating the need for precise dimensional ratios between the hot-air inlet opening and the entire blower wheel assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The hot air intake function is extracted and dedicated to the inner inlet vanes, while the air expulsion function is assigned to the outer outlet vanes. This functional extraction simplifies the overall design by allowing each component to focus on a specific task without requiring complex coordination between dimensions of different parts.
2Volume of moving object
If the hot-air inlet opening dimensions are reduced to maintain compact structure, then device size is reduced, but airflow obstruction occurs that compromises cooling efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The design transitions from a single-dimension constraint (inlet opening size) to a two-dimensional solution by utilizing the radial dimension of the blower wheel. The inner inlet vanes are positioned at a first radial distance from the rotation axis, while outer outlet vanes are positioned at a second, greater radial distance. This dimensional transition allows adequate airflow paths within a compact overall device volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner inlet vanes are nested within the outer outlet vanes in the radial direction, creating a concentric arrangement where the hot air intake path is contained within the cooler air expulsion path. This nested configuration maximizes the use of available space while maintaining distinct airflow paths that prevent obstruction.
3Device complexity
If a simple cooling fan design is used, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to mix hot and cool air effectively is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The blower wheel merges the functions of hot air intake, cool air intake, and air mixing into a single rotating component. The inner inlet vanes draw in hot air from the engine housing while the outer outlet vanes simultaneously draw in cooler ambient air, and the rotation of the wheel naturally mixes these air streams before expulsion. This merging achieves effective temperature control without requiring separate fans or complex mixing mechanisms.
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 device provides efficient engine cooling and a low-temperature air flow, maintaining operational efficiency while avoiding the design limitations of prior systems, ensuring effective cooling and reduced temperature-related issues.
Implementation Method 1
a conical cooling fan which can send cool air from the external atmosphere towards the inside of the housing so that the air can reach the cooling fins of the engine
Implementation Method 2
a blower impeller with a vane group and vents arranged radially, allowing for efficient mixing and expulsion of hot and cool air
Implementation Method 3
the air can reach the cooling fins of the engine
Implementation Method 4
send fresh air from the outside towards the inside of the housing so that the air can reach the cooling fins of the engine
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
AI summary
A portable blower/aspirator device, comprising: - a housing (2) affording a cavity (2a); - an engine (3) housed in the cavity (2a) of the housing (2), the engine (3) being provided with a drive shaft (7); - a cooling fan (9) keyed to an end (71) of the drive shaft (7) in order to aspirate cooling air from an outside environment and to send the cooling air into the housing (2); - a blower impeller (20), keyed to an end (7") of the drive shaft (7) which is opposite the end (71) and arranged internally of a volute (11); - the volute (11) communicating on a side thereof with the housing (2) of the engine (3), and on an opposite side thereof with the outside environment through a second opening (13); in which the blower impeller (20) comprises a wall (22) which faces the first opening (12), a series of radial blades (21) facing the second opening (13) and a circular zone around a hub (23) which circular zone is provided with vents (24) and which circular zone is located facing the first opening (12).