Vacuum Extractor Diffuser for Foam and Liquid Separation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional wet vacuum floor-cleaning machines face issues with foam and waste cleaning liquid being aspirated into the vacuum pump, causing damage and expelling harmful substances into the environment due to imperfect seals and turbulence within the system.

Innovation Solution

The extractor employs a diffuser with a large diffuser apertures/cavity area ratio and strategically located apertures to slow down aspirated air and waste cleaning liquid, increasing dwell time for coalescence and settlement, preventing airborne particles from entering the vacuum pumps and minimizing foam generation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If conventional vacuum extraction is used, then waste cleaning liquid can be removed from the floor, but foam and waste cleaning liquid are aspirated into the vacuum pump causing damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewaste cleaning liquid removal efficiencyVSAvoidvacuum pump reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A diffuser is introduced as an intermediary component between the vacuum chamber and the vacuum pump. The diffuser receives the vacuum stream containing foam and waste cleaning liquid, and through its specially designed aperture structure, separates the liquid components from the air stream before the air enters the vacuum pump, thus protecting the pump while maintaining extraction efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The diffuser employs a porous structure with multiple apertures of different sizes. The porous design allows the diffuser to selectively pass air molecules while blocking larger foam and liquid droplets, achieving separation based on particle size without compromising the vacuum pump's reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

2Productivity

If conventional vacuum extraction is used, then waste cleaning liquid can be removed, but harmful substances are expelled into the environment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewaste cleaning liquid removal efficiencyVSAvoidenvironmental contamination

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The diffuser acts as an intermediary separation device that prevents harmful foam and waste cleaning liquid from being expelled into the environment. By intercepting and separating these substances before they can exit the system, the diffuser eliminates environmental contamination while allowing clean air to be discharged

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system converts the harmful effect of foam and liquid being expelled into a beneficial separation process. The diffuser's aperture structure transforms what would be harmful emissions into a controlled separation mechanism, where the same turbulent flow that previously caused harm now enables effective separation of air from liquid contaminants

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Productivity

If high velocity air flow is used for extraction, then waste cleaning liquid can be removed efficiently, but turbulence generates foam and allows particles to enter the vacuum pump

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveextraction speedVSAvoidfoam generation and particle aspiration

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The diffuser employs local quality variation through its aperture structure, with different regions having different aperture sizes and distributions. This localized structural variation allows the diffuser to handle high-velocity air flow efficiently while creating specific zones for liquid separation, thus maintaining extraction speed without generating harmful foam or allowing particle aspiration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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

Effectively prevents airborne particles of waste cleaning liquid from being sucked into the vacuum pumps, reduces foam generation, and ensures that waste cleaning liquid is efficiently extracted and separated from aspirated air, minimizing environmental contamination.

Implementation Method 1

The diffuser 18 may have a large diffuser apertures/cavity area ratio and may have the diffuser apertures 92 strategically located so as to slow down the aspirated air and waste cleaning liquid

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDiffusion: Diffusion

Implementation Method 2

increasing dwell time for coalescence and settlement, preventing airborne particles from entering the vacuum pumps

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCoalescence: Coagulation

Implementation Method 3

ensures that waste cleaning liquid is efficiently extracted and separated from aspirated air

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGravitation: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentUS7824456B1Extractor

Publication Date: 2010.11.02 MONSON CLIFFORD L

AI summary

An extractor that may have a diffuser located a vacuum chamber to which a vacuum is applied by a vacuum pump. The diffuser has cavity and at least one diffuser aperture, and receives a mixture of waste cleaning liquid and aspirated air. The diffuser and the vacuum chamber separate the waste cleaning liquid from the aspirated air. A suction hose and pump may remove the separated waste cleaning liquid from the vacuum chamber.