Gas Pressurized Glass Preform Manufacturing Flow Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of silica-based glass preforms, such as optical fiber preforms, faces challenges in maintaining stable flow rates of raw material compounds, leading to fluctuations in bulk density and efficiency due to pulsation from pumps and instability in gas solubility, which can result in poor dehydration and increased risks of carbon soot attachment or backfire.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a pressurized liquid-sending flow path with a deaeration device and mass flow controller to stabilize the flow rate of organic silicon compounds, using a pressurization gas to prevent pulsation and deaerate dissolved gases, ensuring precise control and reducing the risk of carbon soot and backfire.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a pump is used to send the raw material liquid, then continuous supply is achieved, but flow rate fluctuates during gear compartment exchange or plunger exchange causing pulsation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the pump from the system entirely, replacing it with a gas pressurization method. This eliminates the source of pulsation (gear compartment exchange or plunger exchange) while maintaining continuous supply through controlled gas pressure acting on the raw material liquid surface.
2Device complexity
If gas is used to pressurize the raw material liquid, then no pumps are needed, but flow rate control becomes unstable due to gas intrusion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by deaerating the raw material liquid before pressurization with gas. The deaeration step removes dissolved gases from the liquid in advance, preventing gas intrusion during subsequent gas pressurization and maintaining stable flow rate control throughout the process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a deaeration device as an intermediary between the raw material storage and the pressurization system. This intermediary component performs gas removal, enabling the subsequent gas pressurization to proceed without the harmful effects of gas intrusion, thus achieving both pump elimination and stable control.
3Manufacturing precision
If the flow rate of raw material fluctuates, then manufacturing efficiency decreases, but precise control requires complex metering pumps
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the complex metering pump from the system and replaces it with a simpler gas pressurization method combined with deaeration. This achieves precise flow rate control without the mechanical complexity of metering pumps, thereby maintaining manufacturing efficiency while improving control stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention substitutes the mechanical metering pump system with a gas-based pressurization and control system. By using gas pressure and deaeration instead of mechanical pumping, the system achieves precise flow control with simpler components, avoiding the pulsation and complexity associated with mechanical metering devices.
4Stability of the object's composition
If temperature is increased to decrease gas solubility, then bubble generation is reduced, but risk of ignition or leakage increases for flammable liquids
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by deaerating the raw material liquid at ambient or safe temperatures before pressurization. This removes dissolved gases in advance, eliminating the need for subsequent temperature increases that would create ignition risks, while still achieving stable gas solubility and preventing bubble generation during the process.
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 approach allows for precise control of the raw material flow rate, stabilizing the bulk density of glass soot, improving manufacturing efficiency, and reducing the likelihood of poor dehydration and backfire, while eliminating the need for pumps and minimizing the risk of gas solubility fluctuations.
Implementation Method 1
a raw material liquid-sending flow path configured to send the raw material liquid, wherein the raw material liquid is pressurized using a pressurization gas
Implementation Method 2
the raw material liquid in which air bubbles have been generated is introduced into a porous tube, and the air bubbles are removed from the raw material liquid by generating a difference in pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a glass preform includes transporting a liquid-form raw material compound including an organic silicon compound by pressurizing the raw material compound using a pressurization gas, deaerating a dissolved gas from the pressurized raw material compound, controlling a flow rate of the deaerated raw material compound using a mass flow controller, gasifying the raw material compound transported through the mass flow controller, and combusting the gasified raw material compound using a burner to generate SiO2.