Compressed Cellulose Chlorine Dioxide Generator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional chlorine dioxide gas generators using dry sodium chlorite and acid face issues with increased reaction time due to water protective membranes, restricted gas flow, inconsistent reactant contact ratios, and incomplete reactions, leading to wasted chemicals and reduced gas generation.
Innovation Solution
A device with a packet fabricated from compressed cellulose materials, featuring upper and lower members with a dissolvable member in between, allowing quick penetration of liquid catalyst and generation of chlorine dioxide gas without external force or wick member, ensuring consistent gas production and complete reaction without residue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If water protective membranes are used to protect dry internal components from moisture, then shipping and handling without activation is improved, but reaction time increases and gas flow is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The packet is pre-filled with dry sodium chlorite and acid in separate compartments during manufacturing, eliminating the need for field assembly. The compressed cellulose material is pre-positioned to facilitate rapid water absorption upon activation, ensuring immediate reaction initiation without delay from manual component placement or wick-based water transport.
Solution Approach 2:
Compressed cellulose material is used as the packet structure, which naturally possesses porous characteristics that facilitate rapid water absorption and distribution. The porous structure allows water to penetrate quickly throughout the packet, enabling fast and uniform reaction initiation across all reactants without relying on wick-based transport mechanisms.
2Device complexity
If a single cavity is used to receive sodium chlorite and acid mixture, then device complexity is reduced, but reactant contact consistency varies leading to incomplete reactions
Solution Approach 1:
The packet is divided into multiple compartments or zones, each containing specific ratios of dry sodium chlorite and acid. This segmentation ensures that water contact is distributed uniformly across all reactant portions, guaranteeing consistent reaction conditions and complete utilization of all chemicals. Each compartment acts as an independent reaction zone with optimized reactant proportions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the packet are designed with locally optimized reactant distributions. The compressed cellulose material is strategically positioned in specific zones to control water absorption patterns, ensuring that each local region receives appropriate water contact for complete reaction. This local optimization guarantees uniform reaction progress throughout the entire packet regardless of orientation.
3Productivity
If compressed cellulose material is used for packet fabrication, then water absorption speed and gas release efficiency are improved, but material selection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cellulose material is compressed to specific density parameters that optimize both water absorption rate and gas release characteristics. By controlling compression parameters during manufacturing, the material achieves ideal porosity and structural properties for rapid water uptake while maintaining structural integrity for efficient chlorine dioxide gas release. This parameter-based optimization simplifies material selection by focusing on compressibility characteristics rather than requiring multiple specialized materials.
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 facilitates rapid and complete generation of chlorine dioxide gas, maintaining consistent production irrespective of orientation, with the compressed cellulose material allowing efficient water absorption and gas release, ensuring all chemicals are utilized and no residue is left.
Implementation Method 1
The compressed cellulose material causes the packet to allow a relatively large quantity of water to flow relatively quickly into the packet
Implementation Method 2
a dissolvable member disposed between and enclosed by the upper and lower members
Implementation Method 3
facilitating a chemical reaction between a liquid catalyst and one or more dry reactants within device to produce a gas
Data Source
AI summary
A device for facilitating a chemical reaction that includes an upper member, a lower member, and a dissolvable member disposed between them such that upper and lower chambers are formed having substantially equal volumes. The upper chamber receives a dry sodium chlorite and the lower chamber receives a dry acid mixture. The upper and lower members are joined, thereby sealing the upper and lower chambers and enabling the joined upper and lower members to be disposed in water such that said lower member engages the water first. The joined upper and lower members swell with absorbed water to engage the dry sodium chlorite and the dry acid mixture to form slurries to dissolve the dissolvable member to allow the slurries to react to generate chlorine dioxide gas that passes through the upper and lower members and into a space to be disinfected and/or deodorized.