Capillary Nozzle for Stable Liquid Phase Ejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional nozzles using glass bead sintered plates are ineffective for spouting highly polar organic solvents and prone to clogging due to irregular flow paths, leading to unstable emulsion formation and droplet coalescence, especially with fine solid components accumulating over time.
Innovation Solution
A nozzle with a structure of capillary tubes or pores having a simple and regular flow path, where the total length is at least twice the inner diameter, and the inner diameter is at least five times the maximum particle size, effectively spouts highly dispersible droplets and prevents accumulation of fine solid components, suitable for both aqueous and organic phases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a glass bead sintered plate nozzle is used, then the structure is simple, but the flow path is irregular causing droplet coalescence and clogging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a porous plate with uniformly distributed pores instead of glass bead sintered material. The porous structure provides regular flow paths that prevent droplet coalescence while maintaining structural simplicity. The uniform pore distribution ensures consistent liquid phase ejection and stable emulsion formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite structure combining a porous plate with hydrophobic coating material. This composite approach maintains the simplicity of the porous plate structure while adding the functional benefit of hydrophobicity to prevent droplet coalescence and improve dispersibility.
2Device complexity
If a glass bead sintered plate nozzle is used, then the structure is simple, but fine solid components accumulate over time
Solution Approach 1:
The porous plate structure with uniform pores and smooth inner walls prevents fine solid component accumulation. The regular geometry allows easy flow of particles through the pores without trapping, extending nozzle service life and maintaining performance over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical filtration effect of glass beads with a controlled porous structure that allows particle passage. This substitution eliminates the mechanical trapping of fine solids while maintaining the necessary flow control function.
3Device complexity
If a glass bead sintered plate nozzle is used, then the structure is simple, but it is ineffective for highly polar organic solvents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the porous plate structure with hydrophobic coating material to create a composite nozzle. The hydrophobic coating provides compatibility with highly polar organic solvents by preventing wetting and coalescence, while the porous plate maintains structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies hydrophobic properties specifically to the inner surface of the porous plate where liquid contact occurs. This localized quality change enables compatibility with polar solvents without requiring the entire nozzle structure to be made of specialized materials.
4Productivity
If droplet spouting is performed with conventional nozzles, then emulsion formation occurs, but droplet coalescence reduces stability
Solution Approach 1:
The porous plate structure creates numerous small, uniform droplets through distributed pore ejection. The regular geometry ensures consistent droplet size and spacing, preventing coalescence and maintaining emulsion stability while preserving high formation rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The circular pore geometry produces spherical droplets that are more resistant to coalescence. The uniform curvature of the pores ensures consistent droplet formation and maintains emulsion stability by preventing irregular droplet interactions.
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 nozzle stably generates highly dispersible droplets and suppresses coalescence across various organic solvents, including polar ones, while minimizing clogging and maintaining performance over extended use periods.
Implementation Method 1
a nozzle having a structure in which capillary tubes or pores are assembled
Implementation Method 2
the tips have appropriate water repellency
Data Source
AI summary
A nozzle for spouting a liquid phase, in which one liquid phase in a two-liquid phase system can be stably jetted as highly dispersible droplets while suppressing coalescence of droplets, and accumulation of fine solid components in the nozzle hardly occurs. The nozzle has a structure in which capillary tubes or pores are assembled. Further, the capillary tubes or the pores are formed using a suitable material having a low affinity for organic or a low affinity for water, or a material subjected to appropriate surface treatment.