Grill Gas Connection Line with Liquid Extraction and Expansion Section

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Solution Overview

Problem

Gas grills used for camping often experience issues with icing of the fuel cartridge and connection due to the reliquefaction of real gases, leading to operational failures, especially in low temperatures, and require additional cartridges for sufficient fuel supply.

Innovation Solution

A gas grill design featuring a connection line with a fuel removal section for liquid fuel and an expansion section for gaseous fuel, where the fuel is removed in liquid form from the bottom of the container and heated to prevent icing, and a control valve and nozzles regulate fuel flow to ensure consistent gaseous fuel supply to the heating element.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If fuel is evaporated to provide gaseous fuel for combustion, then fuel availability is improved, but temperature drop causes reliquefaction and freezing of the gas cartridge connection

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegaseous fuel availabilityVSAvoidgas cartridge connection reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The connection line is divided into two distinct sections: a fuel extraction section for liquid fuel and an expansion section for gaseous fuel. This segmentation allows liquid fuel to be extracted without causing temperature drop and reliquefaction in the extraction section, while the expansion section handles the phase change separately, preventing freezing at the gas cartridge connection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The fuel extraction section acts as an intermediary between the liquid fuel in the cartridge and the gaseous fuel needed for combustion. By extracting liquid fuel through this intermediate section and allowing phase change to occur in a separate expansion section, the system avoids direct temperature drop at the cartridge connection point.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If larger quantities of gas are needed quickly, then fuel supply demand is met, but a second or larger gas cartridge is required, increasing weight and complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuel supply rateVSAvoidgas cartridge weight
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the physical state parameter of the fuel by extracting it in liquid form rather than requiring it to be stored and used as gas. This allows complete utilization of the liquid fuel volume in the cartridge, effectively doubling or tripling the available fuel quantity without increasing cartridge weight or requiring multiple cartridges.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If the gas cartridge is operated at low temperatures, then winter usability is improved, but fuel evaporation is insufficient, preventing grill operation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature range operationVSAvoidfuel evaporation rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of relying on ambient temperature to evaporate liquid fuel into gas (the conventional approach), the system inverts the process by extracting liquid fuel directly and allowing phase change to occur in the expansion section where it can be controlled. This inversion enables reliable operation across a wide temperature range, including winter conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

4Quantity of substance

If liquid fuel is extracted from the bottom of the container, then complete fuel usage is improved, but the connection must remain below the liquid level

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuel utilization efficiencyVSAvoidconnection positioning constraint
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system addresses the positioning constraint by routing the connection line through the housing structure to access the bottom of the fuel container for liquid extraction, while the expansion section is positioned in the exhaust flow path above. This spatial arrangement in different dimensions allows complete fuel utilization without compromising the gas cartridge connection position.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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 design allows for reliable operation of the gas grill at any temperature without icing issues, ensuring complete fuel usage and consistent performance by maintaining the fuel in a liquid state during removal and heating the expansion section to prevent reliquefaction.

Implementation Method 1

the fuel or gas connection is located at the top of the container, so that the gaseous fuel present in the gas cartridge above the liquid level can be easily removed. If larger quantities of gaseous fuel are needed than are already present in the gas cartridge, the liquid fuel contained in the gas cartridge evaporates

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEvaporation: Evaporation

Implementation Method 2

When a real gas expands in a limited volume and thus evaporates, the vaporized gas cools down, allowing it to liquefy again. The temperature of the reliquefying real gas can reach temperatures below 0°C, and therefore below the freezing point of water.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectJoule-Thomson effect: Joule-Thomson Effect

Implementation Method 3

maintaining the fuel in a liquid state during removal and heating the expansion section to prevent reliquefaction

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeating: Heating

Data Source

PatentEP4209155B1Grilling device with gas connection
Publication Date: 2024.07.31 WWS METALLFORMEN GMBH
  • EP4209155B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4209155B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4209155B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The invention relates to a grilling device and a method for operating a grilling device, wherein the grilling device comprises a grill housing (10), a gas-operated heating element (26) and a connection element that can be connected to a fuel container (60), wherein the gas-operated heating element (26) is connected to the connection element by means of a connection line (32), wherein the connection line (32) has a fuel extraction section (64) designed to carry fuel in liquid form and an expansion section (66) designed to carry the fuel in a gaseous state, and wherein the fuel extraction section (64) is connected upstream to the connection element in the direction of fuel flow and opens downstream into the expansion section (66).