Cryotherapy Duct Segmentation for Targeted Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cryotherapy devices do not effectively provide cryostimulation to areas with a high concentration of cold receptors, such as the head, upper arms, chest, and back, due to limitations in gas delivery, and result in significant losses of liquid nitrogen, increasing costs and preparation time.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a cryogenic duct connected to an exchanger that cools a breathing mixture with oxygen to cryogenic temperatures, allowing for its application to the head and shoulder area while delivering liquid/gaseous nitrogen to the non-breathable part of the cryochamber or cryosauna, ensuring comprehensive body stimulation and minimizing nitrogen losses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If liquid nitrogen is used to cool the entire cryochamber, then comprehensive body cryostimulation is achieved, but nitrogen losses increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the cryotherapy delivery into two separate pathways: a first duct delivers cooled breathable air to the head and upper body areas, while a second duct delivers liquid nitrogen to the lower body areas. This segmentation allows targeted cryostimulation without mixing the two functions, reducing overall nitrogen consumption and losses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a heat exchanger as an intermediary device that cools the breathable air using liquid nitrogen before delivery to the patient. This mediator allows efficient heat transfer from nitrogen to air, enabling the nitrogen to cool larger volumes of air that can then distribute the cold therapy throughout the breathable zone without direct nitrogen release into the chamber.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a single duct system is used for cryotherapy, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to target specific body areas with high cold receptor concentration is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The duct system is segmented into at least two separate ducts: a first duct for delivering cooled breathable air to the head, neck, and upper body, and a second duct for delivering liquid nitrogen to the lower body. This segmentation enables targeted delivery to specific body regions with different thermal requirements and cold receptor densities.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger serves multiple functions: it cools the breathable air, pre-cools the liquid nitrogen, and condenses nitrogen vapor. This multi-functionality allows a single device to handle multiple thermal management tasks, reducing the need for additional separate cooling systems.
3Loss of time
If liquid nitrogen is directly applied to the entire chamber, then preparation time is reduced, but nitrogen losses and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary cooling by pre-cooling the breathable air in a heat exchanger before it enters the treatment chamber. This preliminary action allows the main chamber to be cooled more efficiently and quickly, reducing overall preparation time while minimizing direct nitrogen release and associated losses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of nitrogen (liquid to gas) in a controlled manner within the heat exchanger. The liquid nitrogen absorbs heat from the breathable air, transitioning to gas phase, which then condenses on the heat exchanger surfaces. This controlled phase transition enables efficient heat transfer and rapid chamber cooling without excessive nitrogen losses.
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 approach enables complete body cryostimulation, reduces nitrogen losses, shortens preparation time, and lowers procedure costs by efficiently delivering cryogenic air to previously untargeted areas and optimizing heat exchange, thus enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of cryotherapy.
Implementation Method 1
by means of a heat exchange between the breathing mixture and liquid nitrogen, the breathing mixture is cooled to the set temperature of minus 80° C. to minus 160° C.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of preparing cryogenic air for use in cryotherapy procedures, characterized in that liquid nitrogen (1) is fed from a cryogenic nitrogen tank (2) via a cryogenic duct (3) to at least one exchanger (4), wherein at the same time a breathing mixture (6), containing oxygen in a concentration of 17% to 100%, is fed, via an oxygen duct (7), from a breathing mixture (6) source (5), through the filter (8), to at least one exchanger (4), then in at least one exchanger (4), by means of a heat exchange between the breathing mixture (6) and liquid nitrogen (1), the breathing mixture (6) is cooled to the set temperature of minus 80° C. to minus 160° C., and then the cooled breathing mixture (6) is fed from at least one exchanger (4), via an upper pipe (9).