Fan-Driven Fluid Atomization for Viscous Agricultural Inputs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies face challenges in efficiently spraying viscous agricultural inputs and forming nanofibers due to high pressure requirements, drift issues, and limitations in handling chitosan solutions, leading to inefficiencies and damage to seeds during fluid drilling processes.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses kinetic energy fluids to shape feedstock materials into desired forms, such as droplets, fibers, or powders, by controlling physical and energy characteristics, and a planter mechanism that suspends seeds in a viscous gel to maintain spacing and prevent damage, allowing for efficient application and planting of seeds with beneficial microorganisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If high pressure air is used to form spray, then spray coverage is improved, but beneficial microbes are killed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the pressure parameter from high pressure to low pressure operation. The system uses a fan-driven airflow instead of high pressure air to atomize the viscous material, reducing pressure from potentially hundreds of PSI to just a few PSI, thereby preserving beneficial microbes while still achieving spray coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical high pressure pump and compressor system with a fan-driven atmospheric pressure system. The fan creates a low pressure zone that draws material through the nozzle and uses atmospheric airflow to atomize it, substituting mechanical high pressure with atmospheric fluid dynamics
2Ease of operation
If viscous material is sprayed with existing equipment, then spray application is possible, but drop size and distribution are inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a dynamic fan-driven airflow system that creates varying velocity fields around the nozzle. This dynamic airflow naturally atomizes the viscous material into droplets of appropriate size and distribution, adapting to the material's viscosity without requiring precise mechanical adjustments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic principles by using a fan to create a controlled airflow field that interacts with the viscous material at the nozzle exit. The airflow shears the material into droplets through fluid dynamic forces, achieving proper drop size and distribution without mechanical pressure
3Ease of operation
If agricultural inputs are diluted with water carrier, then sprayability is improved, but vehicle weight and replenishment frequency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the agricultural input from diluted liquid to concentrated viscous form. The low pressure fan-driven system can handle the higher viscosity directly, eliminating the need for water carriers and reducing vehicle weight by up to 90% of the water volume
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamic airflow control to adapt to varying viscosities of concentrated materials. The fan speed and airflow patterns can be adjusted to maintain proper atomization across different material viscosities, making the system versatile without dilution
4Area of stationary object
If nozzle is positioned at high elevation for adequate coverage, then coverage area is improved, but drift increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a concentrated spray pattern that delivers material in a more direct, periodic manner to the target. The fan-driven system produces a tighter spray cloud that reaches the target more directly, reducing the time material is suspended in air and thereby reducing drift
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a localized concentrated spray pattern rather than a wide dispersed pattern. The airflow is focused to deliver material precisely to the target area, maintaining coverage while minimizing the spray cloud's exposure to wind drift
5Ease of operation
If low viscosity agricultural inputs are sprayed, then sprayability is improved, but drift occurs due to lowered shear resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the viscosity parameter, using high viscosity concentrated materials instead of low viscosity diluted materials. The fan-driven low pressure system can atomize the high viscosity material effectively, and the resulting droplets have higher shear resistance, preventing drift
Data Source
AI summary
The configuration of a feedstock material is controlled by bringing it into contact with at least a first gas moving against it at a location with an area and thickness of the feedstock liquid that forms drops or fibers of a selected size. In one embodiment, drops of agricultural input materials are formed for spraying on agricultural fields. In another embodiment, nanofibers of materials such as chitosan or metals are formed. In another embodiment seeds are planted with gel.