Boiler for a machine for preparing beverages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Boilers for hot drink machines have high thermal inertia and are costly, and existing rapid-heating boilers fail to withstand high pressures required for preparing beverages like espresso coffee, which necessitates a solution for rapidly heating liquids under high pressure.
Innovation Solution
A boiler design featuring a diffuser with a screen-printed or photo-etched resistor and a deformation chamber that absorbs pressure forces, allowing elastic deformation and reducing stress on the boiler, enabling operation under pressures up to 25 bars while minimizing thermal inertia and material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional metal block boiler with embedded resistive element is used, then the boiler has high structural strength and durability, but it exhibits high thermal inertia and requires relatively long heating time
Solution Approach 1:
The boiler is divided into two functional parts: a rigid support structure (body with support means) that provides structural strength, and a separate thin-walled diffuser that performs heating. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the support structure for strength and the diffuser for rapid heating with low thermal inertia.
Solution Approach 2:
The diffuser is designed as a thin-walled structure made of flexible material that can elastically deform under pressure. This thin-film approach minimizes thermal inertia while maintaining sufficient structural integrity through elastic deformation, enabling rapid heating without requiring thick, heavy walls.
2Loss of time
If a thin-walled diffuser with screen-printed resistance is used for rapid heating, then the thermal inertia is reduced and heating time is shortened, but the boiler cannot withstand high pressures greater than about 8 bars
Solution Approach 1:
The diffuser is designed to dynamically respond to pressure changes by elastically deforming under high pressure conditions. This dynamic behavior allows the thin-walled structure to accommodate pressures up to 25 bars without permanent deformation or failure, transforming the static strength limitation into a dynamic pressure-absorption mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The material properties of the diffuser are optimized to exhibit appropriate elastic deformation characteristics under varying pressure conditions. By carefully selecting materials and designing the wall thickness and geometry, the diffuser can withstand high pressures while maintaining low thermal inertia, effectively changing the structural parameters to meet both heating and pressure requirements.
3Stress or pressure
If the diffuser is made with greater rigidity or thickness to withstand high pressure, then the pressure resistance is improved, but the thermal inertia increases and heating time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using thick, rigid walls to resist pressure, the invention employs a thin-walled flexible diffuser that relies on elastic deformation to withstand high pressures. This approach maintains low thermal inertia for rapid heating while achieving sufficient pressure resistance through the flexibility and elastic properties of the thin-walled structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the pressurized fluid itself to test and demonstrate the pressure resistance of the thin-walled diffuser. The elastic deformation of the diffuser under fluid pressure (up to 25 bars) validates the pressure-handling capability without requiring excessive wall thickness, thereby maintaining low thermal inertia.
4Stress or pressure
If a rigid support structure is used to bear the pressure load, then the pressure resistance is improved, but the material cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The diffuser serves a dual function: it performs the heating function through its thin-walled structure with embedded resistive heating element, and simultaneously withstands the high pressure through its elastic deformation capability. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate, complex pressure-containing structures, reducing both material cost and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The diffuser is designed as a multi-functional component that combines heating and pressure resistance functions. By integrating both functions into a single thin-walled elastic structure, the invention avoids the need for separate rigid pressure-containing structures, thereby simplifying the overall device design and reducing material costs.
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 boiler achieves rapid heating of pressurized liquids, reducing thermal inertia and material costs, while maintaining structural integrity and efficiency under high pressure conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a heating element, at least one body defining with the first wall of the diffuser at least one heating chamber, in which the heating element is a screen-printed or photo-etched resistor or any other resistive film
Implementation Method 2
the diffuser deforms elastically in the deformation chamber to partially absorb at least the effort of pressure
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a boiler for a machine for preparing beverages, wherein a fluid is brought to a pressure of at least 8 bars, including at least one diffuser (1) having a first wall (2) to be placed in contact with the fluid to be heated, a second wall (3) opposite the first wall (2) and provided with at least one heating element, at least one body (5) defining, together with the first wall (2) of the diffuser (1), at least one heating chamber, wherein the heating element is a screen-printed or photoengraved resistor. Said boiler has a deformation chamber (7). The chamber is arranged such that, when subjected to the pressure in the heating chamber, the diffuser (1) elastically deforms in the deformation chamber (7) so as at least partially to absorb the pressure force.