Threaded CO2 Snow Injection Nozzles for Adjustable Cooling Pack Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manual bagging machines for dry ice packaging lack flexibility in adjusting the injection orifices to varying flow rate needs, requiring complex re-machining and being inflexible for different applications.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a set of injection clarinets with a threaded orifice capable of receiving interchangeable nozzles of varying internal diameters, allowing for easy adjustment of the injection rate without re-machining, featuring a rounded tip for bag insertion and a cylindrical nozzle shape with a flared base for easy screwing and removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If drilled tubes with fixed injection orifices are used, then structural rigidity is ensured, but flexibility in adjusting injection rate is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The injection system is segmented into modular components: a fixed clarinet body providing structural support and a separate interchangeable nozzle containing the injection orifice. This allows the orifice characteristics to be changed by simply replacing the nozzle segment without modifying the main structure, thus achieving injection rate adjustment while maintaining structural rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static fixed-orifice design to a dynamic adjustable design by enabling easy replacement of nozzles with different orifice diameters. The threaded connection mechanism allows rapid switching between different injection rates, making the system adaptable to varying production requirements without permanent modifications.
2Adaptability or versatility
If re-machining of clarinets is performed to change injection orifices, then injection rate can be adjusted, but time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Nozzles with different orifice diameters are pre-manufactured and ready for use. When injection rate adjustment is needed, the operator simply selects and installs the appropriate pre-made nozzle, eliminating the time-consuming re-machining process entirely. This preliminary preparation of multiple nozzle options enables rapid adaptation to different production requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle is designed as a replaceable, relatively simple component that can be easily manufactured and replaced. Instead of permanently modifying the expensive and complex clarinet body, the system uses interchangeable nozzles that can be discarded or replaced quickly, significantly reducing the time and cost of adjusting injection rates.
3Ease of manufacture
If simple hollow cylindrical nozzles are used, then manufacturing is easy, but screwing and removal difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle base is designed with a conical or flared curvature instead of a simple cylindrical shape. This curved geometry provides a larger surface area for the threaded connection and creates a mechanical advantage that facilitates both screwing the nozzle onto the clarinet and unscrewing it for replacement, while maintaining ease of manufacture through standard machining processes.
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 enables immediate and effortless variation of the injection rate according to user needs, minimizing clogging risks and ensuring consistent snow production with high reproducibility and ease of operation.
Implementation Method 1
From a source of liquid CO2, generates, by expansion, dry ice directly in bags
Implementation Method 2
Temperature regulation is ensured, for example, by the slow sublimation of dry ice packed in bags
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to equipment for producing cool packs containing an amount of carbon-dioxide snow, which includes: a set of at least two cells, each of which is capable of receiving and supporting a shell to be filled; a feeding tube connected, at the upstream portion thereof, to a liquid CO2 source; a set of at least two injection manifolds, each injection manifold being located opposite a cell in which a casing to be filled is to be positioned, and each manifold being connected, at the upstream portion thereof, to the feeding tube, wherein each manifold comprises an injection port at at least one location along the length thereof, the equipment being characterized in that: i) the end of each manifold opposite the feeding tube is formed as a sealed end provided in the form of a substantially rounded tip; j) each injection port located on a manifold is a provided as a threaded opening having a given diameter D and is capable of receiving an injection nozzle by means of screwing; k) said equipment comprises at least two injection nozzles, each injection nozzle being provided in the form of a part that is cylindrical over at least a portion of the length thereof, said cylinder being a hollow cylinder, the threaded outer diameter of which is equal to the diameter D of at least one of the threaded openings of at least one of the manifolds, and the inner diameter d of which is less than D.