Deformable PCM Ventilation Housing for Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ventilation systems fail to achieve rapid and constant heat absorption and transfer to air flow due to limited exchange surface and accommodation of phase change material expansion.
Innovation Solution
A ventilation device with a deformable housing and channels surrounded by phase change material (PCM) for air exchange, featuring a deformable plastic material to absorb volume changes and ensure thermal insulation, combined with fans for controlled airflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid housing is used to enclose phase change material, then structural stability is improved, but the housing cannot accommodate volume changes of the PCM during phase transition
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed with deformable walls that can dynamically change their volume in response to PCM expansion and contraction during phase transitions. The deformable material allows the housing to adapt its shape and size, accommodating the volume changes of the PCM while maintaining structural integrity throughout the phase change process.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is constructed from deformable material that forms a flexible shell capable of expanding and contracting to accommodate the PCM's volume changes. This flexible shell design allows the housing to deform elastically during phase transitions, providing both structural support and adaptability to volume changes without requiring rigid expansion joints or complex mechanical mechanisms.
2Temperature
If PCM is enclosed in a heat exchanger, then thermal exchange is improved, but cavities are required which reduce the effective heat exchange surface
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the PCM from the enclosed heat exchanger configuration and places it directly in the housing where it can contact the housing walls over a much larger surface area. This eliminates the need for internal cavities and heat exchanger structures, allowing the PCM to be in direct thermal contact with the housing and thus with the air flow, maximizing the effective heat exchange surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure is merged with the heat exchange function, eliminating the separate heat exchanger component. The housing walls themselves serve as the heat exchange surface, and the PCM is positioned to maximize contact with these walls. This integration combines the containment function with the thermal exchange function, achieving both structural stability and maximum heat exchange surface area.
3Ease of operation
If conventional ventilation systems are used for air exchange, then air circulation is improved, but heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The phase change material is pre-positioned in the housing and pre-charged with thermal energy storage capacity. During phase transitions, the PCM proactively absorbs or releases heat to counterbalance the air flow temperature changes, providing preliminary thermal compensation before the air enters or leaves the building, thus reducing overall heat loss or gain.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the phase transition properties of the PCM (melting and freezing) to passively regulate temperature. When warm air flows through the housing, the PCM absorbs excess heat through melting; when cold air flows through, the PCM releases stored heat through freezing. This phase change mechanism provides automatic thermal regulation that reduces energy loss during air exchange operations.
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
Facilitates rapid and constant heat absorption and transfer, maintaining consistent indoor temperature by preventing heat dissipation in winter and intake in summer, while ensuring thermal insulation and air tightness.
Implementation Method 1
the channels are at least partially surrounded by a PCM material (Phase Change Material) accommodated in the hollow body
Implementation Method 2
the respective phase change material changes its phase state at a respective transition temperature
Implementation Method 3
the channels have an at least partially heat-conducting wall between the two openings
Implementation Method 4
at least one part of the housing is formed from a deformable plastic material which can absorb the volume change of the PCM
Data Source
Figure 1a~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a ventilation device (100) with a housing (109), wherein the ventilation device is suitable for being inserted into an opening which passes through the wall of a building, and wherein the housing (109) has an opening on each side of the wall and the housing (109) forms at least one hollow body and a series of channels (108) which are suitable for conducting air are arranged in the hollow body, and wherein the housing (109) forms a wall of the hollow body or bodies.According to the invention, the hollow body is formed by the housing and two covers (101) which close the two openings of the housing (109), and the channels have an at least partially heat-conducting wall between the two openings, and the channels (108) are at least partially surrounded by a PCM (phase change material) material which is accommodated in the hollow body, and the housing (109) is at least partially formed from a deformable plastic material which makes it possible to absorb the volume change of the PCM (phase change material).