Dual-Nozzle Turntable Apparatus for Powder Deagglomeration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for deagglomerating and disseminating powders into aerosols are time-consuming and often fail to completely separate particles into their smallest natural sizes, affecting the consistency and accuracy of lab tests.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring a rotatable turntable with circumferentially spaced wells and a dual-nozzle system that uses air flow and pressurized gas to break up agglomerated powder particles into finer sizes through an air milling effect, ensuring steady concentration and efficient dissemination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If previously known methods are used to break up agglomerated particle matter, then some particle separation is achieved, but the process is time-consuming and fails to completely separate particles into individual powder particles
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the deagglomeration process into multiple stages: initial air flow draws particles from wells, then pressurized gas provides high-velocity impact between opposing nozzles. This multi-stage segmentation enables complete particle separation while maintaining efficient processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses pneumatic forces throughout the deagglomeration process. Air flow drawn through conduits inducts powder from wells, and pressurized gas sources create high-velocity streams that impact particles between nozzles. This pneumatic approach achieves complete particle separation faster than previous mechanical or manual methods.
2Quantity of substance
If low volume powders are used to produce aerosols, then material consumption is reduced, but it becomes difficult to produce a steady concentration of aerosol particles over time
Solution Approach 1:
The turntable rotates continuously, presenting different wells to the nozzles in sequence. This continuous rotation ensures a steady supply of powder particles to the aerosolization process, maintaining consistent aerosol concentration over time even with low powder volumes per well.
Solution Approach 2:
Powder is pre-loaded into multiple wells on the turntable before the aerosolization process begins. This preliminary preparation ensures that as one well is depleted, another well is ready to be positioned, maintaining continuous and steady aerosol production without interruption or concentration variation.
3Ease of manufacture
If agglomerated powder particles are not completely separated into individual particles, then the testing process is simplified, but the test results are adversely affected due to inconsistent particle sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The device uses dynamic high-velocity gas streams that adjust to particle characteristics. The opposing nozzles create variable impact forces that adapt to different particle sizes and agglomeration states, ensuring complete separation into individual particles while maintaining a streamlined testing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the velocity and pressure parameters of gas streams to optimize particle separation. By adjusting these parameters, the device achieves complete deagglomeration into consistent individual particles, ensuring accurate test results without complicating the testing procedure.
4Device complexity
If a single nozzle is used for aerosol production, then the device complexity is reduced, but the particle deagglomeration efficiency and speed are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges two nozzles facing each other with opposing outlets, creating a combined deagglomeration system. The gas streams from both nozzles converge in the center, producing enhanced particle breakup efficiency and higher productivity compared to a single nozzle, while adding only moderate complexity to the device.
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 device effectively deagglomerates and disseminates powders into consistent, small particle sizes, improving the accuracy and reliability of lab tests by producing a continuous flow of aerosolized particles at controlled concentrations.
Implementation Method 1
the gas flow through the nozzle outlet draws or inducts powder contained in the turntable wells through the conduit into the tube and out through the nozzle's outlet
Implementation Method 2
The force of the impact not only breaks the powder components into finer particles through an air milling effect
Implementation Method 3
the velocity moments of the two high speed gas streams cancel each other. Consequently, the now deagglomerated particles may be conducted away from the collection housing at a much lower velocity
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for deagglomerating and aerosolizing particulate matter such as powders, the apparatus including a rotatable turntable having a plurality of circumferentially spaced wells adapted to contain a powder. A pair of conduits are fluidly connected to the turntable wells so that powder from the wells is inducted and drawn to two nozzles so that the powder is entrained in the gas flow exiting each nozzle. Furthermore, the nozzle outlets are aligned and spaced apart from each other, but positioned to direct their particle entrained gas flow in the opposite and facing direction to one another so that the flow from each nozzle impinges upon the flow from the other nozzle to further air mill and deagglomerate the individual powder particles.