Bypass Intake Air Mover for Higher Thrust Per Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air moving devices have high power requirements for a given thrust or generate low thrust for a given power input, indicating inefficiencies in their design.
Innovation Solution
The air moving device incorporates a secondary flow path with an annular secondary inlet and outlet that mixes with the primary flow path, creating a low-pressure zone to enhance thrust while reducing power consumption, featuring a housing with a primary and secondary flow path and an impeller assembly that rotates a blade to facilitate airflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a conventional air moving device uses a single primary flow path, then the device structure is simple, but the thrust generated per unit power is low
Solution Approach 1:
The airflow path is segmented into two separate paths: a primary flow path that passes through the impeller and a secondary flow path that bypasses the impeller. The secondary flow path includes a bypass inlet positioned below the primary inlet, allowing air to enter and flow through a dedicated bypass passage. This segmentation enables the device to generate additional thrust from the bypass airflow while maintaining simple impeller operation, thereby increasing total thrust for a given power input
Solution Approach 2:
The bypass inlet is positioned in a different spatial dimension (below the primary inlet) and the secondary flow path is routed through a separate dimensional space (bypassing the impeller from below). This dimensional separation allows the bypass airflow to contribute to thrust without interfering with the primary impeller-driven flow, effectively adding another dimension of thrust generation to the system
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 configuration increases thrust for a given power input, reducing energy usage and improving efficiency by utilizing the secondary flow path to create an additional thrust component, thereby enhancing the overall performance of the air moving device.
Implementation Method 1
The impeller assembly is configured to rotate a blade to cause air to enter the housing through the upper portion and exit the housing through the lower portion
Implementation Method 2
The secondary flow path extends from an annular secondary inlet of the housing to an annular inner outlet that is in fluid communication with the primary flow path, creating a low-pressure zone to enhance thrust
Data Source
AI summary
An air moving device has a housing with a primary flow path and a secondary flow path that extends from a secondary inlet of the housing and empties into an inner outlet adjacent the primary flow path. An impeller assembly rotates a blade to cause air to enter the housing and flow along the primary flow path. The flow of air through the primary flow path creates a low pressure region at the inner outlet of the secondary flow path, causing air to flow through the secondary flow path and mix with the air in the primary flow path. The mixture of air flows through a downstream portion of the primary flow path having an expanded width compared to an upstream portion of the primary flow path and exits the housing. Stator vanes may extend longitudinally within the housing to cause columnar air flow. The device may be used for destratification of thermal gradients of air within an enclosure, such as a home or warehouse.