Conical Diffusion Terminal for Low-Mixing Personal Air Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ventilation systems fail to ensure high-quality air intake by minimizing air mixing with pollutants, leading to suboptimal air quality and increased energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A personal air exchange system with diffusion terminals that deliver clean air directly to the inhalation area using low-flow, laminar airflow through capillary distribution networks, reducing mixing with ambient air and incorporating adjustable, low-profile diffusers with conical elements to enhance airflow direction and separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If large airflow diffusers with high mixing are used to introduce clean air, then the air quantity is sufficient, but the air quality deteriorates due to mixing with pollutants
Solution Approach 1:
The ventilation system is segmented into multiple low-flow diffusers distributed throughout the space, each delivering clean air directly to its local zone. This segmentation allows clean air to be introduced in small, controlled quantities that minimize mixing with pollutants while still providing sufficient total ventilation when aggregated across all diffusers.
Solution Approach 2:
Each diffuser creates a localized zone of high-quality air with minimal mixing characteristics. The clean air from each diffuser maintains its purity in its immediate vicinity, providing local quality improvement without requiring high overall mixing rates that would compromise air quality.
2Productivity
If high airflow is introduced through diffusers, then ventilation coverage is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of introducing excessive high-volume airflow throughout the entire space, the system uses multiple diffusers to deliver partial airflow to specific local zones. This partial action approach achieves adequate ventilation coverage by aggregating the effects of many small diffusers rather than relying on a few large airflow sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses multiple identical or similar low-flow diffusers distributed throughout the space, copying the same efficient diffuser design across many locations. This allows the system to achieve broad ventilation coverage through replication of efficient local units rather than using fewer high-consumption units.
3Ease of operation
If conventional diffusers are used, then air distribution is achieved, but the system complexity and installation cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The diffusers are designed as simple, inexpensive, potentially disposable components that can be easily installed and removed. This approach reduces system complexity by using straightforward components rather than complex adjustable mechanisms, while still achieving effective air distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The diffusers are designed to operate effectively at similar pressure levels and airflow conditions, creating equipotential operation across the network. This simplifies the overall system design and installation by ensuring all diffusers work under comparable conditions, reducing the need for complex balancing and adjustment mechanisms.
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
Ensures high-quality air intake with minimal mixing and reduced energy consumption by delivering clean air directly to the inhalation zone without obstructing movement or activity, maintaining air quality and reducing pollutant content.
Implementation Method 1
low-flow, laminar airflow through capillary distribution networks
Implementation Method 2
capillary distribution networks
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3D
AI summary
A diffusion terminal (5) of clean air is described here, provided for improving the quality of the air breathed by a person. The diffusion terminal (5) comprises: - an outer body (50), which can be connected to the outlet of a respective supply channel (3) of clean air, - said outer body (50) having an outlet mouth (27) provided for supplying clean air towards an inhalation area of a person, - a first conical element (26) at least partially hollow arranged inside the outer body (50), in such a way that the axis of the first conical element (26) is substantially coincident with the main axis of the body (50), - said first conical element (26) having a base portion arranged close to a plane defined by the outlet mouth (27) of the outer body (50), so as to provide the outlet of an airflow (F1) along a crown (28) defined between an inner surface of the outer body (50) and an outer surface of the first conical element (26), - said first conical element (26) comprises at least one opening (33, 22) to enable passing of an airflow (F3) within the first conical element (26) and through an outlet mouth (34) of the first conical element (26).