Dual Thermoblock Beverage Heating for Steam-Free Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machines for producing beverages from soluble materials face challenges in efficiently heating and maintaining the temperature of large water volumes without forming steam bubbles, as traditional thermoblocks are either insufficiently powerful or difficult to control for larger volumes required in blended beverages.
Innovation Solution
A machine with two series thermoblocks of comparable power, each independently controlled to maintain a consistent temperature of 85-90°C for 150 ml of water within 7-10 seconds, using a combination of thermoblocks and a heat exchanger to prevent steam formation and optimize energy use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a single high-power thermoblock is used to heat 150 ml of water to 85-90°C within 7-10 seconds, then the heating speed is sufficient, but steam bubbles form due to excessive temperature increase
Solution Approach 1:
The single thermoblock is divided into two separate thermoblocks of comparable power connected in series. The first thermoblock heats the water to an intermediate temperature, while the second thermoblock heats it further to the target temperature. This segmentation allows each thermoblock to operate at moderate power levels, preventing excessive temperature increases that would cause steam bubble formation, while still achieving the required heating speed for 150 ml of water within 7-10 seconds.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a storage boiler is used to maintain constant high temperature, then steam bubble formation is prevented, but energy consumption increases due to heating and maintaining large water volumes
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuously heating a large volume of water as in a storage boiler, the system uses two thermoblocks to heat water on-demand in periodic cycles. The thermoblocks are activated only when a beverage is ordered, heating the required amount of water (150 ml) to the precise target temperature (85-90°C) within 7-10 seconds. This periodic action eliminates the energy waste of maintaining large water volumes at high temperature while preventing steam bubble formation through controlled, incremental heating.
3Ease of operation
If a thermoblock is used for espresso coffee machines heating 30 ml of water, then the heating is efficient and controllable, but it is insufficient for blended beverages requiring 150 ml of water
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges two thermoblocks of comparable power in series to create a heating system with combined capacity sufficient for 150 ml of water. Each thermoblock individually has power levels suitable for controlled heating (similar to espresso machine thermoblocks), but when combined in series, they achieve the required heating capacity for larger volumes while maintaining the ease of control and precision temperature management characteristic of smaller thermoblock systems.
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 solution effectively heats and maintains the target temperature for larger volumes of water without forming steam bubbles, ensuring efficient and consistent beverage production while reducing energy consumption and preventing bacterial growth in the water tank.
Implementation Method 1
a first thermoblock (16) having an inlet (25) forming the inlet of the heating unit (15) and an outlet (26)... heats the water to a temperature T1... possibly higher than the target mixing temperature
Implementation Method 2
a second thermoblock (17)... supplied with water whose temperature T1 decreases rapidly from an initial temperature, possibly higher than the target mixing temperature... heats the water to the target mixing temperature
Implementation Method 3
a heat exchanger (21)... designed so that water is fed to tank (2) along conduit (18) at a temperature of 35-40°C, and along outlet conduit (24) at a temperature of roughly 30°C
Data Source
AI summary
A machine (1) for producing beverages from soluble material, the machine (1) having at least one mixing device (37; 47) fed with hot water and soluble material; a pump (8) for drawing water from a tank (2) and feeding it to a heating unit (15) defined by a first and second thermoblock (16, 17) arranged successively in series along a water feeding path and having respective heating devices (R1, R2) for imparting to the water respective variable temperature increases; and control devices (16a, 17a) for continuously maintaining the temperature increases complementary to each other with respect to a target mixing temperature.