Combustion Shade Segmentation for Safe Bioalcohol Flame Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional combustion devices using bioalcohol with wicks face safety issues due to flammability and difficulty in controlling flame size, as they often suffer from poor heat dissipation and incomplete combustion, leading to unstable and inefficient burning.
Innovation Solution
A safe combustion device design featuring a housing with a wick and a guiding device that includes shades with specific distance configurations to create a flow passage, enhancing air flow and ventilation, which increases the flame size and height by promoting better heat dissipation and combustion efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the opening of the shade is made large to improve air ventilation, then outside air supply is improved, but the shade provides poor heat dissipation and becomes too hot to touch safely
Solution Approach 1:
The shade is divided into multiple segments with openings of specific sizes and distributions. This segmentation allows the shade to provide sufficient air ventilation for combustion while distributing the heat load across multiple surfaces, preventing any single area from becoming excessively hot and unsafe to touch.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the shade have different opening sizes and heat dissipation characteristics. The shade structure is designed with varying local properties to optimize both air flow and heat distribution, ensuring that areas closer to the flame have appropriate heat resistance while maintaining overall ventilation efficiency.
2Temperature
If the opening of the shade is made small to improve heat dissipation, then shade temperature is reduced, but air ventilation is insufficient causing incomplete combustion and black smoke
Solution Approach 1:
The shade structure incorporates multiple segmented openings that collectively provide sufficient air ventilation for complete combustion. The segmented design allows air to flow through multiple paths, ensuring adequate oxygen supply to the flame while distributing heat dissipation across multiple locations, preventing smoke generation.
3Reliability
If the flame size is kept small to prevent temperature exceeding fuel flash point, then safety is improved, but combustion efficiency and heat output are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The shade acts as an intermediary structure that mediates between the flame and the surrounding environment. It provides controlled air flow to the flame, ensuring complete combustion and maintaining flame temperature below the fuel flash point for safety, while simultaneously directing heat output efficiently to improve combustion effectiveness and heat output.
Solution Approach 2:
The shade design changes the parameters of air flow, temperature distribution, and pressure around the flame. By controlling these parameters, the system maintains flame temperature within safe limits (below flash point) while optimizing combustion efficiency and heat output through improved air-fuel mixing and complete combustion.
4Reliability
If the wick is exposed to outside air to improve combustion, then flame stability is improved, but the flame becomes vulnerable to being blown out by wind
Solution Approach 1:
The shade serves as a protective intermediary between the flame and external environmental factors. It provides a controlled air flow environment that stabilizes combustion by providing consistent oxygen supply while shielding the flame from direct wind impact, preventing the flame from being blown out while maintaining combustion stability.
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 design allows for a larger, more stable flame with improved heat dissipation and burning efficiency, reducing the risk of backdraft and flashover, while maintaining safety by controlling air flow and preventing hot air buildup.
Implementation Method 1
The wick can draw the fuel by capillary action up into the flame
Implementation Method 2
The at least one shade and the housing include a flow passage formed therebetween. The flow passage has a length between the inner lateral side of the at least one shade and the wick, a length below the bottom side of the at least one shade, and a length outside the outer lateral side of the at least one shade
Data Source
AI summary
A safe combustion device includes a housing. A wick is disposed in the housing. The wick has a top end at a first distance from a bottom surface of the housing. A guiding device is connected to the housing and includes at least one shade. The at least one shade has bottom and top sides at second and third distances from the bottom surface of the housing respectively. The second distance is shorter than the first distance. The first distance is shorter than the third distance. The at least one shade has an inner lateral side adjacent to the wick. The at least one shade and the housing include a flow passage formed therebetween.