Packaging System with Desiccant Snakes for Solid Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Granular solid materials tend to cake due to moisture absorption, leading to loss of free-flowing characteristics, and existing packaging systems with desiccants can cause contamination issues.
Innovation Solution
A packaging system comprising a vapor permeable bag within a vapor impermeable liner, with desiccant 'snakes' positioned around the bag to absorb moisture, preventing caking and ensuring easy separation from the product.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If desiccants are placed in a permeable bag within the package, then moisture is absorbed and caking is prevented, but the desiccant may rupture and contaminate the product
Solution Approach 1:
The desiccant system is segmented into multiple small individual bags rather than one large bag, reducing the risk that rupture of a single bag will contaminate the entire product. The multiple small bags distribute the desiccant function throughout the package while minimizing contamination risk from any single failure point.
Solution Approach 2:
The desiccant bags are designed as disposable protective elements that are discarded with the package after use. They are made from simple permeable material that is inexpensive and single-use, eliminating the need for long-term durability while providing effective moisture protection during the product's storage and transport lifecycle.
2Reliability
If a vapor permeable bag is used to allow moisture passage to desiccants, then moisture removal is effective, but the desiccant bag may become difficult to separate from product contents
Solution Approach 1:
The desiccant bags are made visually distinct from the product contents through color coding or contrasting materials, making them easily identifiable and simple to separate from the granular solid materials. This visual differentiation allows users to quickly locate and remove the desiccant bags without confusion.
Solution Approach 2:
By dividing the desiccant system into multiple small individual bags rather than one large integrated system, each bag can be easily handled and removed separately from the product contents, improving ease of separation and cleanup.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If desiccant bags are made from stronger materials to prevent rupture, then contamination is reduced, but the bags may still be difficult to locate and remove
Solution Approach 1:
The desiccant bags incorporate visual identifiers such as contrasting colors or patterns that make them stand out from the product contents, enabling easy location and removal while maintaining structural integrity with appropriate material strength.
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 system maintains the free-flowing characteristics of granular materials by effectively removing moisture and preventing desiccant contamination, ensuring the product remains usable throughout its consumption.
Implementation Method 1
The Mallinckrodt packaging system utilizes a moisture permeable bag to allow the moisture to pass from the salts through the bag into the desiccants
Implementation Method 2
Any free moisture in the salts or that enters from the outside is trapped (i.e., absorbed) by the desiccants
Data Source
AI summary
A packaging system that maintains the free flowing characteristic of solid materials contained therein. The packaging system includes a container, a cover, a vapor permeable bag, a vapor impermeable liner and at least two desiccant snakes. The vapor permeable bag has an opening for receiving solid materials and is formed from cloth or continuous fibers of high-density polyethylene that are randomly distributed and non-directional. The vapor impermeable liner surrounds the vapor permeable bag and provides a moisture barrier. The desiccant snakes are disposed between the vapor permeable bag and the liner. Each snake includes two or more desiccant packages formed from a vapor permeable material through which moisture can freely pass. The desiccant packages contain clay, silica, or molecular sieves.