Heated Tube System with Segmented Conductor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current heatable hose systems with vulcanized heating conductors face challenges such as high heat loss, cost-intensive recycling, and reduced insulation effectiveness due to bending radii, which fail to meet Euro 6 EU standard requirements and increase thermal load on vehicle components.
Innovation Solution
A heatable hose system with a separately designed heating conductor and a double-walled inner hose part, featuring a polyamide-based structure with a reinforcing fabric, a non-flammable glass fiber outer layer, and a corrugated tube for improved insulation, along with integrated temperature sensors and a control device for efficient heating power regulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heating conductors are vulcanized into the hose, then thermal coupling and heating efficiency are improved, but heat loss increases and recycling becomes cost-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The heating conductor is separated from the hose structure into a distinct component. Instead of vulcanizing the heating conductor into the hose wall, the patent uses a separate heating element that can be independently removed, reducing heat loss to the hose material while maintaining heating efficiency for the fluid.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating conductor is extracted from the hose structure entirely. The patent employs a removable heating element that can be taken out for recycling, eliminating the permanent thermal coupling that causes heat loss to the hose material while still providing effective heating of the transported medium.
2Loss of energy
If an additional insulation jacket is pushed over the heated hose, then heat loss is reduced, but the insulation effect is lost at the ends due to length differences
Solution Approach 1:
The heating conductor and insulation are merged into a single integrated component. The heating element is embedded within the insulation structure itself, ensuring continuous insulation coverage without gaps at the ends, thereby maintaining insulation effectiveness throughout the entire length.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material construction where the insulation and heating elements are combined into a unified structure. This integrated design ensures that the insulation effect is maintained continuously along the entire length of the hose, including at the ends where separate jackets would otherwise create gaps.
3Reliability
If the hose structure includes vulcanized heating conductors, then thermal coupling is improved, but the insulation becomes brittle and leaks during vulcanization
Solution Approach 1:
The heating conductor is extracted from the vulcanization process entirely. By using a separate, removable heating element instead of vulcanized conductors, the insulation material is not exposed to the deforming temperature and pressure of vulcanization, preventing brittleness and leakage while still achieving effective thermal coupling through direct contact design.
4Loss of energy
If very long hose elements are used to cover the entire underbody area, then thermal insulation is improved, but bending radii cause length differences and reduce insulation effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible insulation structures that can accommodate bending radii without creating length differences. The integrated insulation design uses flexible materials and construction that maintain continuous thermal coverage even when the hose is bent, preventing gaps and maintaining insulation effectiveness in the axle area and other curved regions.
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 solution ensures reliable heating efficiency, reduced energy consumption, and cost-effective recycling, while maintaining insulation effectiveness even at narrow bending radii, meeting Euro 6 EU standards and providing environmental benefits.
Implementation Method 1
The heating conductor is preferably designed in the form of a coil and preferably consists of a resistance wire
Implementation Method 2
The separate outer layer surrounding the heating conductor has a good thermal insulation effect
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4a~4c
AI summary
The invention relates to a heated tube system (10) having an inner tube part (11) conducting a fluid, the walls (112, 114) of which may be heated by an electrical heating conductor (14). In order to design the tube system (10) in a reliably operating fashion even for narrower radii and higher standards, according to the invention the outer part of the wall (112) is surrounded by a separately formed heating conductor (14) and the heating conductor (14) is surrounded by a separately formed outer layer (16), preferably made of a woven layer of a technical yarn such as glass fiber. The electrical current fed into the heating conductor (14) may preferably be regulated using a control device (24) to which a signal is sent from at least one of the temperature sensors (20; 22) integrated into the heated tube system (10).