Heatable Media Line Sealing With Atmospheric Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heatable media lines in vehicles, such as those carrying AdBlue, face challenges with the corrosive and viscously fluid urea solution causing creepage, which can lead to electrical short circuits due to penetration into electrical connections, necessitating a reliable seal to prevent such issues.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of free regions along the heat conductors between sealing bodies, which are continuously connected to the atmosphere, allowing the medium to exit and preventing further penetration, combined with a constructive assembly of interlocking parts and profiling of sealing bodies for optimal sealing, and mechanical prestress for enhanced sealing effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sealing bodies are used to prevent medium penetration, then reliability is improved, but the medium can still creepage through the sealing bodies and cause electrical short circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The creepage path is segmented into multiple sections by introducing free regions between sealing bodies. Each sealing body protects one section, but the free region interrupts the continuous creepage path, forcing the medium to exit to the atmosphere rather than continue penetrating toward electrical connections.
Solution Approach 2:
Free regions act as intermediary spaces between sealing bodies and electrical connections. These regions serve as a buffer zone where crept medium can be discharged to the atmosphere, preventing direct contact between the medium and electrical components.
2Reliability
If multiple sealing bodies are introduced to prevent creepage, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than using one complex continuous seal, the structure is segmented into multiple simpler sealing bodies separated by free regions. This segmentation maintains protection while simplifying the overall structure and allowing for easier manufacturing and assembly.
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 configuration provides a reliable seal, preventing medium penetration and electrical short circuits, ensuring the integrity of the heatable media line and maintaining operational safety and comfort during varying temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
heatable media line... heat conductors extending inside the media lines... uniform all-around heating
Implementation Method 2
urea solution... is especially able to creep due to its low viscosity, so that special measures are required to establish a reliable seal
Data Source
AI summary
A heatable media line includes a connecting part, which establishes an electrical connection, and serves to introduce a heat conductor into a media line section. A connection of the heat conductor with contact-forming parts is set up in an end part, and the heat conductor is tightly accommodated in boreholes of a coupling part by means of two sealing bodies spaced apart from each other, as well as introduced into the media line section by way of a supporting body for purposes of heating a medium flowing in the latter. In order to produce a reliable seal intended to prevent the medium from penetrating into the end part, recesses in the walls of the coupling part and an interruption of a creepage distance are configured between the sealing bodies such that the heat conductor is directly in contact with the surrounding atmosphere.